. . As a matter of fact, some miss in
the breeding will usually carry with it an irritable protective nerve
and keep the animal sensitive on points which the thoroughbred
ignores. Your cripple thinks of his hip, your hunchback of his
spine: your well-formed man takes his hip and spine for granted.
Your bastard is sensitive on historical fact and predisposed to lying
about it. . . . Stated thus, my counter-proposition is obvious.
You won't be so ready to agree when I go on to assure you that
sensitiveness in these mongrels and misfits often spreads from the
centre over the whole nervous system.--But, anyway, you knew my poor
hound, the pair of you. Not much breeding in Billy, eh? . . .
Well, he bit four blackguards before they laid him out: bit 'em deep,
too, and I won't answer for the virus. That dog died defending
my papers. He fought on his honour, and he knew it, Roddy.
He suffered, Jimmy--even if he was dead when they threw him into the
fire. And--I'm going to give your Farrell the benefit of the doubt.
. . . Where's the tobacco?"
I passed him the jar.
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