Brooke looking so handsome.
“I have brought a little petitioner,” he said, “or rather, I have brought him to see if he will be approved before his petition is offered.”
He showed the white object under his arm, which was a tiny Maltese puppy, one of nature’s most naive toys.
“It is painful to me to see these creatures that are bred merely as pets,” said Dorothea, whose opinion was forming itself that very moment (as opinions will) under the heat of irritation.
“Oh, why?” said Sir James, as they walked forward.
“I believe all the petting that is given them does not make them happy. They are too helpless: their lives are too frail. A weasel or a mouse that gets its own living is more interesting. I like to think that the animals about us have souls something like our own, and either carry on their own little affairs or can be companions to us, like Monk here. Those creatures are parasitic.”