As soon as she had closed the door she turned to him.
“Where is Miss Maynard?” she asked.
Her son’s eyebrows and shoulders both jerked upwards.
“You can search me,” he responded.
“Sit down, Robert.”
He obeyed the impressive order, and his mother seated herself opposite.
“What has that sleek, quiet little mouse been doing?” he asked. “I haven’t seen her since we left the Riverside.”
“Robert, I want you to think, and I want you to be serious.”
“I’ll do my best, but I’m rusty in both lines.”
“I want you to tell me how my treatment of Miss Maynard has impressed you.”