Captain Rogers had gathered the scattered papers and was examining them while Kitty drank the medicine and let her father lead her again to the big armchair. He placed two other chairs close, then found an old sweater and wrapped it around his daughter’s bare feet.
“You mustn’t get chilled after such a trying day,” he said.
Then he joined Captain Rogers at his desk and they stood conferring in low tones for a few minutes. Gradually Kitty began to feel relaxed, and infinitely relieved that the suspense of these last weeks had at last reached a climax. She was now impatient to talk over everything with her father and his superior officer. There was much she wanted to know, too.
“Feeling better?” asked her father, coming back and standing by her chair. He took the damp kerchief from her head, and ran his fingers through her tumbled curls.
“Oh, much!”
“Well, suppose you tell us what happened this afternoon when you and Brad went out to Terrapin Island.”
Captain Rogers came over and sat astride a straight chair, his arms folded over the back as he faced her. This informality instantly put Kitty at her ease, while she gave a detailed account of her afternoon up to the time she had brought Brad home.
“Young lady, you have shown remarkable keenness in handling this situation,” said the Captain.
Kitty flushed. “Oh, no. I’ve made lots of mistakes. You don’t know.”
“Oh, yes, I do,” he retorted. “Your father has told me everything up to date. However, I must admit you made one mistake in the very beginning.”