“You see,” he continued more at ease, “John already has his suspicions.”
“He has?” exclaimed the aunt uneasily. “But he has never seen Joe! He has been with us only since we came here.”
“All I know,” Barnes answered, “is that John looked under the bed and in the closets before he left me.”
The aunt did not disclose the fact that this was one of John’s nightly duties in the modest room she occupied next to her niece’s, but the latter’s eyes warmed into a smile.
“Perhaps that was mere force of habit,” hinted Miss Van Patten.
Aunt Philomela turned a warning glance upon her niece—her cheeks coloring daintily.
“It made me realize that I ought to know more about myself,” Barnes continued.
“You were precious little good,” vouchsafed the aunt.
“Must I act up to my reputation?” he asked solicitously.
Miss Van Patten put in kindly,