Miss Franklin stared. "No, I never heard a lady talk of you," she replied, with a giggle. "What lady?"
"The lady who is stopping in your house."
Her eyes became hard, and she assumed a stony expression. "There is no lady in the house but myself."
"Not a lady who lost what you are looking for?"
This time she was thrown off her guard, and became as red as her hair. She tried to carry off her confusion with rudeness. "I don't know what you're talking of," she said, with a stamp and a frown! "you can just clear away off our land, or I'll set the dogs on you."
"I see. You keep dogs, do you? Bloodhounds probably?"
"How do you know that?" asked Miss Franklin, staring. "Yes, we do keep bloodhounds, and they will tear you to pieces if you don't go."
"You seem to forget that this is a civilized country," said Giles quietly. "If you set your dogs on me, I shall set the police on you."
"The police!" She seemed startled, but recovered herself. "I don't care for the police," she declared defiantly.
"You might not, but Walter Franklin might."