Well, I didn't envy him in his present situation.

He had my pity, if anything.
Possibly the fact that I could pity some one other than myself helped to raise my spirits.

At any rate I managed to shake off a little of my gloom and tramped on up the Lane, feeling more like a human being and less like a yellow dog.

Less as I should imagine a yellow dog ought to feel, I mean, for, as a matter of fact, most yellow dogs of my acquaintance seem to be as happy as their brown or white or black relatives.

I walked up the Lane, turned into the Lower Road, and headed for the village.