"I'm sure," said Mary Louise, "that my grandfather will gladly repay you any money it costs you to keep me."
"You—don't—un-der-stand," he retorted, chopping off his words rather viciously. "Moreover, you can't understand. Go to the house and talk to Hannah. Have you any baggage!"
"I've a suit case at the hotel," she said, and went on to tell him the experiences of her journey and of her encounter with Detective O'Gorman.
During this relation, which he did not interrupt, Mr. Conant toyed persistently with his watch charm. His features were noncommittal but he was thoroughly interested.
"You see," he remarked when she had finished, "Colonel Weatherby's elaborate system of evading discovery is quite necessary."
"But why should he wish to hide?" asked the girl.
"Don't you know?"
"No, sir."
"Then your grandfather doesn't wish you to know. I am his lawyer—at least I am one of his lawyers—and a lawyer must respect the confidences of his clients."
Mary Louise looked at him wonderingly, for here was someone who evidently knew the entire truth.