"But, Hugo dear," she said, "why did you not tell me long ago?"
A LAME DOG'S DIARY
S. Macnaughtan
Thomas Nelson and Sons,
London, Edinburgh, and New York
1908
A LAME DOG'S DIARY.
CHAPTER I.
Perhaps curiosity has never been more keen, nor mystery more baffling,than has been the case during the last few weeks. There have been "afew friends to tea" at almost every house in the village to see if inthis way any reasonable conclusions can be arrived at, and evenPalestrina is satisfied with the number of people who have taken thetrouble to walk up the hill and chat by my sofa in the afternoons. Butalthough each lady who has called has remarked that she is in thesecret, but at present is not at liberty to say anything about it, weare inclined to think that this is vain boasting, or at least selfishreticence.
The two Miss Traceys have announced to almost every caller at theirlittle cottage during the last two years that they intend to build.
We have all been naturally a good deal impressed by this statement, andalthough it was never plainly said what the structure was to be, we hadhad for a long time a notion of a detached house on the Common. Andsurely enough the foundation-stone was laid last year by Miss RubyTracey with some ceremony, and the first turf of the garden was cut byMiss Tracey, and only last month the whole of the Fern Cottagefurniture was removed in a van to Fairview, as the new house iscalled—the handsomer pieces placed upon the outside of the van, andthe commoner and least creditable of the bedroom furniture within.Every one was at his or her window on the day that the Miss Traceys'furniture, with the best cabinet and the inlaid card-table dulydisplayed, was driven in state by the driver of the station omnibusthrough the town. A rumour got abroad that even more beautiful thingswere concealed from view inside the van, and the Miss Traceys satisfiedtheir consciences by saying, "We did not spread the rumour, and weshall not contradict it."
But the mystery concerns the furniture in quite a secondary sort ofway, and it is only important as being the means of giving rise to themuch-discussed rumour in the town. For mark, the drawing-roomfurniture was taken at once and stored in a spare bedroom, and thedrawing-room was left unfurnished. This fact might have remained inobscurity, for in winter time, at least, it is not unusual for ladiesto receive guests in the dining-room with an apology, the drawing-roombeing a cold sitting-room during the frost. But Mrs. Lovekin, the ladywho acts as co-hostess at every entertainment in our neighbourhood,handing about her friends' cakes and tea, and taking, we are inclinedto think, too much upon herself, did, in a moment of expansion, offerto show the Traceys' house to the Blinds, who happened to call there onthe day when she was paying her respects to Miss Tracey. Mrs. Lovekinalways removes her bonnet and cloak in every house, and this helps thesuggestion that she is in some sort a hostess everywhere.
Palestrina, who was also calling on the Miss Traceys, gave me a full,true, and particular account of the affa