"I'll get at it somehow, you'd better believe," said Miss Jo. "What were these three girls called?"
"One of them seemed to have a sort of French title; the other two answered to plain English."
"French—that's a likely story. What do you know about French?"
"Not much," Rig confessed. "Don't be hard on me, Miss Jo. I expect to be found in January, but you might leave a fellow hopes till then."
"And you will not tell us a thing about Mr. Kindred," joined in another girl.
"Well, now"—said Rig,—"that's putting it rather strong. But here comes Kin himself; he ought to know. He's of age, ask him, as the Jews said in the Bible."
And Mr. McLean stepped to the window and hailed his friend, who had not had the faintest intention of calling upon anybody that afternoon.
However, so summoned, there was nothing else to do. So Magnus came in, hung up his cap in the hall, shook hands with his hostess and the other ladies, and then, after the manner of cadet chaff, asked Rig what he was fooling there for? wasting his own time as well as Miss Jo's?
"She said she hadn't any to lose, so I'm safe there," answered Mr. McLean.
"Make the most of it,—that won't carry you far," said Miss Jo. "What do you suppose he has been doing, Mr. Kindred?"