Section 209 A Friend in Need (S. 3, N. 2). I.
One wet wintry night, when a gentleman was hurrying along1 one of the crowded thoroughfares of London, his attention was arrested by a lean, hungry-looking dog which rushed past him. He observed that it had a collar2 round its neck, to which a basket was attached. If it was (App. § 36) a dog that ran on errands3, he thought that surely its owner would feed it better, and its ribs would not look so spare. Thinking that there was some mystery connected with the animal4, he resolved to follow it5. After a6 time it turned up a narrow lane into a stable-yard, where some coachmen and hostlers were loitering about. It then got up on its hind-legs, and began walking about in circles7. The bystanders, surprised at this strange proceeding, formed round in a ring and looked on. It walked five times round, standing8 erect, and looking fixedly before it like a soldier on duty9, evidently doing its utmost10 to make the company laugh. After taking a short rest, it began its performance11 again, but this time on its fore-feet, pretending to stand12 on its (S. 43, N. 9) head. Tiring of this13, it lay down in the middle of the ring, feigning to be dead14, and going through all the convulsions of a dying dog, breathing heavily, panting, suffering the lower jaw to fall15, and then turning over motionless. It did this so well, that a woman in the crowd exclaimed: “Poor beast!” and drew her hand across her eyes16. Having lain still a minute, with its eyes closed, it got up and shook itself, to show that the performance17 was over. It then went round begging on its hind-legs, standing18 a little while before each of the spectators, and earnestly watching19 to see whether they put their hands into their pockets or not. The basket round its neck had a slit in the lid, into which the coppers might be dropped.
Notes
1 to hurry along, durchei´len, insep. comp. w. v. Place ‘one — night’ after ‘gentleman’; wet = rainy; thoroughfares = streets.
2 here Halsband, n.; round its neck, um.
3 to run on errands, Besorgungen aus´richten; and — spare = and it would not look so dreadfully lean.
4 = Since the matter appeared very mysterious (rätselhaft) to him.
5 = the animal.
6 kurz; turned up = ran into; into = which led to.
7 im Kreise.
8 = held himself.
9 auf dem Posten.
10 = and did evidently his best.
11 here = tricks, Kunststücke.
12 = and did (sich anstellen) as if he stood (App. § 33).
13 = Hereupon.
14 to feign to be dead, sich tot stellen. The Present Participles in this passage must be rendered by the Imperfect in German.
15 = dropped (fallen lassen) the lower jaw.
16 mit der Hand über die Augen fahren.
17 Vorstellung, f.
18 stille stehen.
19 = and watched (beobachten) them quite earnestly (ernsthaft).