"I'm sure I don't know," replied the girl. "He said he wanted to get something from the attic."
"The attic!" repeated Mrs. Masterbrook. "Oh!" And for no apparent reason she began to laugh.
"What do you find so funny?"
"Oh, nothing," replied the housekeeper, passing quickly into the cottage.
Penny stared after the woman, thoroughly bewildered by her actions. She felt certain that Mrs. Masterbrook knew why old Herman Crocker had come to the cottage.
Penny sat down on the porch steps to wait. Fifteen minutes elapsed before she heard Mr. Crocker coming down the attic stairway. As he stepped out on the porch she noticed that he had nothing in his hands and he seemed somewhat disturbed.
"Did you find what you were after?" asked Penny.
"Oh, yes—yes," replied the old man absently.
Mrs. Masterbrook had emerged from the kitchen in time to hear the remark.
"Did you really?" she inquired with a slight smirk.