“Mercy, no,” said Azalea. “I’m nothing—just a girl.”
“Oh, I see,” he said, smiling radiantly.
Carin broke in cheerfully with:
“And are you really staying around here?”
“Yes,” he said; “I’m at the Hall. You remember little Miss Rowantree? Her father and mother have consented to let me use one of their rooms. They have a great many, you know.”
“Ravenel Hall?” asked Carin. “Is that the same as Ravenel Hall? We have just been hearing something of the Ravenels.”
“It’s called Rowantree Hall now,” smiled Keefe. “You see, Rowantree himself lives there. He’s lord of the manor.”
“Is he so magnificent?” asked Carin, her eyes widening. “I thought no one lived about here except the mountain folk. Mr. Summers never told me anything about Mr. Rowantree.”
“Then,” said Keefe O’Connor, “Mr. Summers, whoever he may be, couldn’t have known very much about the country. To be sure, I haven’t been here long myself, but from what I’ve seen I should say that Mr. Rowantree was a very important character.”