Mr. Rhodes coldly ignored the question. “My wife has lunch ready,” he said. “She’s an excellent cook and I trust you’ll enjoy her cooking during your brief stay here. You will join us?”
“Thanks,” Jack responded, feeling at a disadvantage. “But we don’t want to put you to any trouble, or your wife.”
“No trouble,” the engineer said shortly. “Come along.”
Jack fell into step. As they left the river, Rhodes relaxed somewhat and talked cheerfully of a recent visit he had made to the coast.
“You don’t trust me, do you?” he abruptly asked the Scout.
The unexpected question caught Jack off guard. At a loss for a reply, he began to stammer.
“You have me all wrong,” the engineer went on. “Maybe I seem abrupt, but this is rough country, and one can’t be too careful. Worried about Corning?”
“Naturally.”
“Believe me, if anything can be done, I’ll do it,” Rhodes assured him. “The point I’m trying to make is this, you can’t help him by remaining here. You’ll only hinder my work.”
“It’s for Mr. Livingston to decide what we do.”