“What’s the girl tied up for?” he demanded.
“It’s the only way we can keep her home,” said the woman. “That young lady’s been enticing her away; her and an old wretch of a man.”
“Your daughter?”
“My adopted daughter.”
“What about it, little one?” the officer stepped over, and cutting the girl’s bands, placed a hand on the child’s head. “Is what she says true?”
“I—I don’t know,” she faltered. Her knees trembled so she could scarcely stand. “I never saw the young lady until now but I—I think she is wonderful.”
“Is this woman your stepmother.”
The girl hung her head.
“Do you wish to stay with her?”
“Oh! Mon Dieu! Mon Dieu! No! No! No! Oh, Mon Dieu! Mon Dieu!”