Mason fell into step with Josephine and the girl seemed puzzled by his abstracted manner.
“You are looking real gloomy this morning, Sir Jack. Please tell me what is worrying you.”
He saw a look of concern come into her eyes.
“Well, little Princess, I’ll tell you,” he said gravely. “I wanted to see MacNutt this morning to find out about the Spanish girl’s case. MacNutt had gone to Trader’s Post, so I didn’t find out anything from him. Did you question the girl this morning as you intended to?”
“Yes,” Josephine answered, keeping her eyes fixed straight ahead of her. “Waneda didn’t tell me anything more than I found out last night, and I think we will have to look to MacNutt to explain the reason of her coming here.”
“Of course,” she continued, “I am willing that the girl should stay here just as long as she wants to, if I was sure that she is all right. Anyway, you seem to take a great interest in her.”
He looked up at her in surprise.
“What makes you think that?”
“I should think,” she answered, “that after a girl had brought you a decoy note as she did, that you couldn’t trust her.”
“I am still convinced that Waneda didn’t know what that first note contained,” he protested warmly, “and that she had been made a tool by the Ricker faction.”