Today, I realized an elderly couple slowed their car in concern as I yanked June�s leash, as he was pulling me all over the place in response to some dog barking in a nearby yard. I think they saw me as Salamano - I read the following hours later in Camus� The Stranger - which is yet another �double� - I recently bought it, after finding it on a list on one of the links here, Things Found, and learned days later that it�s one of Tom�s favorite books.

�As for the dog, he�s sort of taken on his master�s stooped look, muzzle down, neck straining. They look as if they belong to the same species, and yet they hate each other. Twice a day, at eleven and six, the old man takes the dog out for a walk. They haven�t changed their route in eight years. You can see them in the rue de Lyon, the dog pulling the man along until old Salamano stumbles. Then he beats the dog and swears at it. The dog cowers and trails behind. Then it�s the old man who pulls the dog. Once the dog has forgotten, it starts dragging its master along again, and again gets beaten and sworn at. Then they both stand there on the sidewalk and stare at each other, the dog in terror, the man in hatred. It�s the same thing every day. When the dog wants to urinate, the old man won�t give him enough time and yanks at him, so that the little spaniel leaves behind a trail of little drops. If the dog has an accident in the room, it gets beaten again. This has been going on for eight years.�