The little man in the blue suit took the lead forthwith.
“You are Winifred Bartlett?” he said, and by some subtle inter-flow of magnetism Winifred knew instantly that she had nothing to fear from this diminutive stranger.
“Yes,” she replied, looking at him squarely.
“You live in East One Hundred and Twelfth Street?”
“Yes.”
“With a woman described as your aunt, and known as Miss Rachel Craik?”
“Yes.”
Each affirmative marked a musical crescendo. Especially was Winifred surprised by the sceptical description of her only recognized relative.
“Well,” went on Clancy, suppressing a smile at the girl’s naïve astonishment, “don’t be alarmed, but I want you to come with me to Mulberry Street.”
Now, Winifred had just been reading about certain activities in Mulberry Street, and her eyebrows rounded in real amazement.