"That was very unlucky, Kit! Old Nanny's fond of talking; I'm afraid your character is gone."
Kit frowned. He did not see much humor in the situation, although Janet was amused.
"Oh," she said, "you are dull! I expect you couldn't be nice if you tried. But we were talking about Miss Osborn. You were not riding on the stone-boat when you met her. I don't suppose you could have stopped it."
"No," said Kit, shortly, "I was not."
"But I saw you and somebody else hardly a minute after the stone-boat hit the wall."
"You saw me."
"I did," said Janet. "The snow was sticking to your clothes as if you had fallen, and you looked angry when Mrs. Creighton put the lantern on the wall." She paused for a moment, and went on: "I begin to see; you did come down on the stone-boat and Miss Osborn came with you. You were both thrown off by the upset at the wall. Well, if you persuaded her to join you in an adventure like that, it looks as if you were pretty good friends."
Kit said nothing. In a sense, Miss Osborn had persuaded him, and it was difficult to explain that both had really given way to a rash impulse. Somewhat to his surprise, Janet gently touched his arm.
"Be careful, Kit! I wouldn't like to see you hurt. Miss Osborn's friends are not your kind of folk; she only wants to amuse herself when they are not about."
"That's ridiculous," Kit declared. "Miss Osborn is not amusing herself with me."