"I'll leave guessing to you—it's your business, and you appear to do it very well."
"Say, drop me altogether. I'm only a paid servant. But you'll have to admit that Mr. Whitney and his son count pretty big in their line."
"Very big, Miss Rogers. But they've made a mistake this time—or possibly been misled. The Janneys have never been fair to Price. They're prejudiced and they've branded the prejudice on. He isn't an angel, neither is he a rascal. He didn't take his child, he never thought of it, he couldn't do it."
"Then who did?"
"That's what I want to find out."
"Jerusalem!" I said, sitting up, feeling like the peaceful scene around me was suddenly dark and strange. "You don't think she's really been kidnaped?"
"I can't think anything else." He stopped in front of me, looking at me hard and stern. "I'd like to find another solution but I'm unable to."
"But, gee-whizz!" I stared at him, all worried and mixed. "You can't get away from the facts. They're all there—there's hardly a break."
"I don't admit that. This man and woman have got characters and records that haven't been considered—but even if you had a hole-proof case against them I wouldn't believe it."
"Oh, pshaw!" I said, simmering down, "you just believe what you want to. I've seen people like that before."