"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 "a few friends to tea" at almost every house in the village to see if in this way any reasonable conclusions can be arrived at, and even Palestrina is satisfied with the number of people who have taken the trouble to walk up the hill and chat by my sofa in the afternoons. But although each lady who has called has remarked that she is in the secret, but at present is not at liberty to say anything about it, we are inclined to think that this is vain boasting, or at least selfish reticence. The two Miss Traceys have announced to almost every caller at their little cottage during the last two years that they intend to build. We have all been naturally a good deal impressed by this statement, and although it was never plainly said what the structure was to be, we had had for a long time a notion of a detached house on the Common. And surely enough the foundation-stone was laid last year by Miss Ruby Tracey with some ceremony, and the first turf of the garden was cut by Miss Tracey, and only last month the whole of the Fern Cottage
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