INGATH'S VOOER. 353 



who had sniffed out his master and had joined the 

 couple. " My dog never makes friends with people 

 who are not fond of his kind." 



"I had a dog just like him, years ago," replied 

 Ingath. " A dog that I loved as dearly as if it had 

 been a human being." 



"Perhaps more dearly," said Mr. Nemo, with his 

 fascinating smile. " Perhaps you loved your dog better 

 than any mere selfish mortal." 



The lady glanced quickly at him with a startled air. 

 The dog of whom she spoke had been at her side 

 when she rejected Ole. She was fondling the brute 

 at the time, as if to show her lover how indifferent to 

 his suit she could be ; and in the bitterness of his soul 

 the sailor laddie said that he believed she loved the 

 brute better than she would or could any man. 



"Dogs are so faithful," said Miss Ingath to Mr. 

 Nemo, not knowing how else to reply, and again he 

 smiled. 



" More faithful than men, do you think ? " 



" I do not know. I have proved a dog but not a 

 man ; " and then, thinking it high time to put an end 

 to the interview. Miss Ingath invented an excuse for 

 going indoors after so speaking. 



By what I have related of their conversation you 

 will perceive that Mr. Nemo was by no means what 

 he chose to be known as — a woman-hater. From 

 that time he was exceedingly polite, even attentive, to 

 Miss Halcro ; and far from avoiding her he rather 

 made excuses for crossing her path pretty frequently. 



