CHAPTER III.
COVERING CLUES.
“And your mistress is Mrs. Maynard?” asked Chick.
“Of a certainty.”
Chick saw that the girl was antagonistic, but he did not show what his thoughts were. The only way to secure information from the girl would be to make friends with her. He asked:
“How is Mrs. Maynard this morning?”
“She is very ill, sir.”
“It is a terrible affair,” said Chick. “It is a wonder that all the people in the house were not murdered in their beds.”
“I shall be afraid to stay here now,” said the girl, still speaking in French.
“You surely are not going away?” asked Chick. “What will Mrs. Maynard do? She surely can’t get a companion like you—young, devoted, and attractive—every day.”
The girl blushed prettily. The flattery was winning its way, seemingly.