He was the veriest coward of his species.

He yelped and howled, and struggling from my grasp ran with his tail merged in his person back to his mistress, who was hobbling after me.
But with the renewed strength of triumph I turned again for home, and ran as I had never run before.

When or where the dame gave in, I do not know; I never turned my head until I laid it on Kirsty's bosom, and there I burst out sobbing and crying.

It was all the utterance I had left.
As soon as Kirsty had succeeded in calming me, I told her the whole story.

She said very little, but I could see she was very angry.