a rocking-horse for a child not three months old!"

I was about to say fiercely: "The stirrups are adjustable," but thought
it best to laugh with him. But I was pained to hear that Mary had
laughed, though heaven knows I have often laughed at her.

"But women are odd," he said unexpectedly, and explained. It appears
that in the middle of her merriment Mary had become grave and said to
him quite haughtily, "I see nothing to laugh at." Then she had kissed
the horse solemnly on the nose and said, "I wish he was here to see
me do it." There are moments when one cannot help feeling a drawing to
Mary.

But moments only, for the next thing he said put her in a particularly
odious light. He informed me that she had sworn to hunt Mr. Anon down.

"She won't succeed," I said, sneering but nervous.

"Then it will be her first failure," said he.

"But she knows nothing about the man."

"You would not say that if you heard her talking of him. She says he is
a gentle, whimsical, lonely old bachelor."

"Old?" I cried.

"Well, what she says is that he will soon be old if he doesn't take
care. He is a bachelor at all events, and is very fond of children, but
has never had one to play with."

"Could not play with a child though there was one," I said brusquely;
"has forgotten the way; could stand and stare only."

"Yes, if the parents were present. But he thinks that if he were alone
with the child he could come out strong."

"How the deuce--" I began

"That is what she says," he explained, apologetically. "I think she will
prove to be too clever for him."

"Pooh," I said, but undoubtedly I felt a dizziness, and the next time
I met him he quite frightened me. "Do you happen to know any one," he
said, "who has a St. Bernard dog?"

"No," said I, picking up my stick.

"He has a St. Bernard dog."

"How have you found that out?"

"She has found it out."

"But how?"

"I don't know."

I left him at once, for Porthos was but a little way behind me. The
mystery of it scared me, but I armed promptly for battle. I engaged
a boy to walk Porthos in Kensington Gardens, and gave him these
instructions: "Should you find yourself followed by a young woman
wheeling a second-hand perambulator, instantly hand her over to the
police on the charge of attempting to steal the dog."

Now then, Mary.

"By the way," her husband said at our next meeting, "that rocking-horse
I told you of cost three guineas."

"She has gone to the sho