The old man turned, his stick shaking in his hand: “Where’s Katherine? Katie.... What’s happened to Katie? What’s this mean?”
Mrs. Trenchard looked at him, then said:
“It’s all right, Father—really. It’s quite all right.”
“It’s not all right.” Fright like the terror of a child alone in the dark was in his eyes. “What have you done with her?”
Her voice cold, without moving, she answered:
“Katherine went up by the eight o’clock train to London with Philip. She has gone to Rachel Seddon.”
“With Philip?... What do you say? I can’t hear you.”
“Yes. She is to stay with Rachel Seddon.”
“But why? What have you done? Why did you tell me lies?”
“We have done nothing. We did not know that she was going.”