Page:The Other House (London, William Heinemann, 1896), Volume 2.djvu/126

112 Rose had turned grave—she gave Paul a sombre stare. "Then what on earth had she done with her?"

"What she had done was evident: she had taken her home!" Tony declared with an air of incipient disgust. They made a silly mystery of nothing.

Rose gave him a quick, strained smile. "But if the child's not there?"

"You just told us yourself she isn't!" Mrs. Beever reminded him.

He hunched his shoulders as if there might be many explanations. "Then she's somewhere else. She's wherever Jean took her."

"But if Jean was here without her?"

41 Then Jean, my dear lady, had come back."

"Come back to lie?" asked Mrs. Beever.

Tony coloured at this, but he controlled himself. "Dearest Mrs. Beever, Jean doesn't lie."

"Then somebody does!" Mrs. Beever roundly brought out.

"It's not you, Mr. Paul, I know!" Rose declared, discomposed but still smiling. "Was it you who saw her go over?"

"Yes; she left me here."