Duane did not look very much impressed. "What on earth should she have on her mind? Besides, there's her sister. It's her business to see if the kid's worried by anything."
"Well, I don't know much about Bertha," went on Kitty, hesitating. "To tell you the truth, I never did take to her much. But——"
"Oh, I'm not her great chum, either," interrupted Duane. "Still, I do happen to know that Bertha thinks the world of Erica and can be trusted to look after her as much as anybody. But I think the child gets bad attacks of homesickness, all the same. However, she'll grow out of that in time. All decent girls are happy enough at Easthampton."
Some inexplicable impulse prompted Kitty's next words:
"Are you?"
"Do you mean to infer that I'm not decent?" said Duane dryly.
Kitty flushed crimson.
"You know I didn't mean that."
"No, I didn't. I thought perhaps you were still thinking of the Richoter," returned Duane calmly.
"Well, I wasn't," said Kitty bluntly. "I was merely asking a straightforward question. I'm afraid I'm not used to playing about with words, and I'm not clever at it like you."