Leavesley made a little spring from his chair, as if some one had stuck a pin into him, and changed colour violently. "How--what do you know about Miss Lambert?----" "I know all about it," said Miss Hancock grimly. She was so very clever that she had got hold of the wrong end of the stick entirely, as very clever people sometimes do. If she had come to him frankly she would have found out that he was Fanny's lover, and not James Hancock's confidant and go-between, as she now felt sure he was. Unhappy Leavesley! his love affair with Fanny seemed destined to be mulled by every one who had a hand in it. "If you know all about it," he said sulkily, "that ends the matter." "Unfortunately it doesn't." "What do you mean?" "It's dreadful," said Miss Hancock, apparently addressing a tobacco jar that stood on the table, "it's dreadful to watch a man consciously and deliberately making a fool of himself--to sit by and watch it, and not be able to move a hand." Of course he thought she referred to himself, but he was so accustomed to hear his aunt calling people fools that her remarks did not ruffle him. "But what I can't understand is this," he said. "Who _told_ you about Fanny--I mean Miss Lambert?" "Fanny!" said the lady with a sniff. "You call her Fanny?" "Of course." "Of _course_!" "Why not?" "Why _not_!" "Yes." "The world has altered since I was a girl, that's all." Then with deep sarcasm--"Does your uncle know that you call her Fanny?" "Of course not; I've never told him." Miss Hancock stared at him stonily, then she spoke. "Are _you_ in love with her too?" she asked. "What do you mean by 'too'?" "Frank Leavesley, don't shuffle and prevaricate. Are you in love with her?" "Of course I am; every one who meets her must love her. I believe old Verneede is in love with her. Love with her! I'd lay my life down for her, but it's hopeless--hopeless----" "I trust so indeed," replied Miss Hancock. For a minute he thought his aunt must be a little bit mad: this was more than her ordinary contrariness; then he went back to his original question. "I want to know who told you about this." "Bridgewater, for one," replied Miss Hancock. "Bridgewater!" "Yes, Bridgewater." "But he knows nothing about it," cried Leavesley. "He couldn't have told you." "He told me everything--Miss Lambert's visit to the Zoological Gardens, her----" "You may as well be exact whilst you are about it; it wasn't the Zoological Gardens, it was Epping Forest." "Frank Leavesley, a lie is bad enough, but a silly lie is much worse. Miss Lambert herself told me it was the Zoological Gardens; perhaps she has been to Epping Forest as well; perhaps next it will be a visit to Paris. _I_ wash my hands of the affair." "You have seen Miss Lambert?" "No matter what I have seen. I have seen enough to make me open my eyes--and shut them again."