"A very interesting period," Giles assured him.
"Yes; and my daughter Portia helps me a great deal. You have met her, Mr. Ware. She told me."
"Yes; we met in the park. She was looking for something, which I found; but I gave it to—to——" Giles hesitated, for he was on dangerous ground. "To another lady," he finished desperately, and waited for the storm to break.
To his surprise the man smiled. "You mean my niece Anne," said he in the calmest way.
"Yes; I do mean Miss Denham. But I did not know that—that——"
"That I wished you to know she was under my roof. Is that it?"
"Yes," stammered Giles, quite at sea. He did not expect this candor.
Franklin rather enjoyed his confusion. "I did not intend to let you know that she was here. It was her own request that you were kept in ignorance. But since you met her——"
"Did you hear of our meeting?"
"Certainly. Anne told me of it directly she came back. Oh, I have heard all about you, Mr. Ware. My niece confessed that you loved her, and from Morley I heard that you defended her."