All this time Caius was cudgelling his brains to know how to bring the talk back to Madame Le Maître, and he ended by breaking in with an abrupt inquiry as to how old she was.
A slight change came over Pembroke's demeanour. It seemed to Caius that his confidential tone lapsed into one of suspicious reserve.
"Not very old"—dryly.
Caius perceived that he was being suspected of taking an undue interest in the benefactress of the island. The idea, when it came from another, surprised him.
"Look here! I don't take much interest in Madame Le Maître, except that she seems a saint and I'd like to please her; but what I want to know is this—there is a girl who is a sister, or niece, or daughter, or some other relation of hers, who is on these islands. Who is she, and where is she?"
"Do you mean any of the girls she has in her house? She took them from families upon the island only for the sake of training them."
"I don't mean any of those girls!"—this with emphasis.
"I don't know who you mean."
Caius turned and faced him. Do what he would, he could not hide his excited interest.
"You surely must know. It is impossible that there should be a girl, young, beautiful and refined, living somewhere about here, and you not know."