“No. But it wasn’t there.”

“But—did you look?”

“Yes, I looked.”

“Thoroughly?”

“Yes. I lit three matches.”

“Matches! Then you didn’t get it when you first got there!”

“Why—no—I had the dog to attend to—and—but I had plenty of time when I got back, and it wasn’t there.”

“Well—Dear me! Did you look anywhere else? I suppose I may be mistaken. Perhaps I did take it back to the desk.”

“That’s just what I thought myself,” said Jonathan. “So I went there, and looked, and [pg 019] then I looked on all the mantelpieces and your bureau. You must have put it in your bag the last minute—bet it’s there now!”

“Bet it isn’t.”