But the smile instead
of taking from the apparent roughness of his speech, only made his
conduct appear in the lady's eyes more cruel.
"How is it possible you can treat the poor animal so unkindly
--and in cold blood too?" she said, and an indescribable tone of
pleading ran through the rebuke. "Why, her poor sides are actually--"
A shudder, and look of personal distress completed the sentence.
"You don't know what she is, my lady, or you would not think it
necessary to intercede for her."
"But if she is naughty, is that any reason why you should be cruel?"
"No, my lady; but it is the best reason why I should try to make
her good."
"You will never make her good that way."
"Improvement gives ground for hope," said Malcolm.
"But you must not treat a poor dumb animal as you would a responsible
human being."
"She's not so very poor, my lady. She has all she wants, and does
nothing to earn it--nothing to speak of; and nothing at all with
good will. For her dumbness, that's a mercy. If she could speak she
wouldn't be fit to live among decent people. But for that matter,
if some one hadn't taken her in hand, dumb as she is, she would
have been shot long ago."
"Better that than live with such usage."
"I don't think she would agree with you, my lady. My fear is that,
for as cruel as it looks to your ladyship, take it altogether, she
enjoys the fight.
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