Miss Morton had grown fond of Kitty French during the girl’s stay with her, and she looked with approval on the fast-growing friendship between her and young Fessenden.
As the hostess at the Van Norman house, too, Miss Morton showed a kindly hospitality, and though she was without doubt eccentric, and sometimes curt of speech, she conducted the household and directed the servants with very little friction or awkwardness.
She was most friendly toward Tom Willard and Schuyler Carleton, and the latter often dropped in at the tea hour. Fessenden dropped in at any hour of the day, and of course Mr. Fairbanks came and went as he chose.
Fessenden and Kitty found Miss Morton in the library, and, as they had decided beforehand, went straight to the root of the matter.
“Miss Morton,” Fessenden began, “I want to do a little more questioning on my own account, before Mr. Fleming Stone arrives. I’m sure you won’t object to helping me out a bit by answering a few queries.”
“Go ahead,” said Miss Morton grimly, but not unkindly.
“They are a bit personal,” went on Rob, who was at a loss how to begin, now that he was really told to do so.
“Well?”
This time, Miss Morton’s tone was more crisp, and Kitty began to see that Rob was on the wrong tack. So she took the helm herself, and said, with a winning smile:
“We want you to tell us frankly what was the paper you burned.”