She heard me to the end, and was evidently very
much agitated. At last she murmured that it could not be, unless--no, it
never could be now.

"Unless, what?" I asked. "Lilian--Miss Roseblade, something has come
between us lately; you will tell me what that something is, won't you?"

"Do you want to know _really_?" she said, looking up at me through her
tears. "Then I'll tell you; it--it's Bingo!"

I started back overwhelmed. Did she know all? If not, how much did she
suspect? I must find out that at once. "What about Bingo?" I managed to
pronounce, with a dry tongue.

"You never l-loved him when he was here," she sobbed; "you know you
didn't!"

I was relieved to find it was no worse than this.

"No," I said, candidly; "I did not love Bingo. Bingo didn't love _me_,
Lilian; he was always looking out for a chance of nipping me somewhere.
Surely you won't quarrel with me for that!"

"Not for that," she said; "only, why do you pretend to be so fond of him
now, and so anxious to get him back again? Uncle John believes you, but
_I_ don't. I can see quite well that you wouldn't be glad to find him.
You could find him easily if you wanted to!"

"What do you mean, Lilian?" I said, hoarsely. "_How_ could I find him?"
Again I feared the worst.

"You're in a government office," cried Lilian, "and if you only chose,
you could easily g-get g-government to find Bingo! What's the use of
government if it can't do that? Mr. Travers would have found him long
ago if I'd asked him!"

Lilian had never been so childishly unreasonable as this before, and yet
I loved her more madly than ever; but I did not like this allusion
to Travers, a rising barrister, who lived with his sister in a pretty
cottage near the station, and had shown symptoms of being attracted by
Lilian.

He was away on circuit just then, luckily; but, at least, even he would
have found it a hard task to find Bingo--there was comfort in that.

"You know that isn't just, Lilian," I observed; "but only tell me what
you want me to do."

"Bub-bub-bring back Bingo!" she said.

"Bring back Bingo!" I cried, in horror. "But suppose I _can't_--suppose
he's out of the country, or--dead, what then Lilian?"

"I can't help it," she said, "but I don't believe he _is_ out of the
country or dead. And while I see you pretending to uncle that you cared
awfully about him, and going on doing nothing at all, it makes me think
you're not quite--quite _sincere_! And I couldn't possi