"And his father?"
Jenny shook her head, sighing—
"I don't know anything about him. He was angry, and, I believe, cast him off."
"And you, then, are his only advocate?"
Jenny's eyes dropped to the floor, and a deeper tinge overspread her countenance.
"What is your relation to him, and to his friends?" asked the Secretary, his manner becoming more serious.
It was some moments before Jenny replied. Then she said, in a more subdued voice:
"I am living with Mr. Lofton. But—"
She hesitated, and then became silent and embarrassed.
"Does Mr. Lofton know of your journey to Washington?"