I refuse to answer."
He turned on his heel and left his son. And he left a breach between
them which the days and weeks widened instead of closing. Pat, feeling
that it would be useless to question his father any more, did not
mention Anne's name again. He picked up his old comrades and went
walking, swimming, and canoeing, keeping as much away from his father as
possible. Mr. Patterson busied himself with office affairs, looking
forward with relief to the end of the so-longed-for vacation. In a few
days, Miss Drayton would join them to take Pat with her to the
Adirondacks.
At this very time, Miss Drayton, too, was bearing about a disturbed
heart. She was fond of Anne and had always regretted her being sent to
an orphanage, but the feeling was not strong enough to make her reclaim
the child. Anne's uncle was a criminal, after all, and she herself had a
strange secret. How could she have acquired those jewels but by theft?
Miss Drayton shrank from the responsibility of such a child. Perhaps the
strict oversight of an asylum was best for her.
This course of thought was abruptly changed by the receipt of a letter
forwarded from Washington to the Maryland village where Miss Drayton was
visiting.
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