spoke. "I have no doubt Mrs. Rose had heaps of
admirers at that time. Why, Mr. Dowson"--she spoke laughingly--"what
were you about not to seize such a prize before an outsider sailed in
and captured it?"

Leonard's pallor gave way to an unbecoming brick-red flush, and his
voice shook as he replied:

"I ... I wasn't lucky, you see. I--I would have given my life for that
girl, Mrs. Herrick, and she--she wouldn't have me at any price."

His tone of desperate sincerity told Eva all she wanted to know; and in
a moment she switched the conversation back to safer ground.

"You needn't give your life for her, Mr. Dowson, but I'll tell you what
you can do. You can lend me your _Punch_ to take her. I promised to
bring her a copy from Dent's, and he is sold out."

Mr. Dowson was genuinely delighted to follow the suggestion and insisted
on depleting the table in his waiting-room of various periodicals which
might relieve the tedium of a day in bed; and Eva took the bundle
amiably, promising to deliver them in person to Toni on her way home.

She fulfilled her mission punctually; and when Owen, unaware of her
presence in the house, came to see how his wife was getting on, he found
her bed literally strewn with the papers which should have soothed the
fears of the quaking patients in Mr. Dowson's gloomy waiting-room.

"Hallo, Toni." He turned to her smilingly, after greeting Eva. "I hope
you've got plenty to read. I didn't know you hankered after the
illustrated papers, or I'd have sent out for some. It's very good of
Mrs. Herrick to bring you such an assortment."

"Ah, but these were sent by a friend of your wife's," smiled Eva
sweetly. "I'm not the principal party in the transaction--I'm only the
middleman."

"Really? Who has been so generous then?" asked Owen, taking up one of
the papers at random as he spoke.

"Mr. Dowson, the dentist at Sutton," said Eva, turning her large Irish
eyes on him pleasantly. "You know, of course, he is an old friend of
Mrs. Rose's, and I must say he is a most gentle and satisfactory person
in his work."

"A dentist? Dowson?" Owen's eyes roamed from Eva's face to Toni's, and
something in the manner of both girls puzzled him. "I don't know him, do
I, Toni? Is he really an old friend of yours? But you've never asked him
here, have you?"

"He--he's not exactly an old friend," said Toni, annoyed to feel herself
colouring. "I mean--oh, I've known him a long time in a way--he was a
friend of t