Kit was annoyed, but he waited and watched the people as they passed.  The shadow was not very dark and he thought the woman give him a curious glance.  He knew her and imagined that she knew him.  When the people went through a gate Janet laughed.

“That was very unlucky, Kit!  Old Nanny’s fond of talking; I’m afraid your character is gone.”

Kit frowned.  He did not see much humor in the situation, although Janet was amused.

“Oh,” she said, “you are dull!  I expect you couldn’t be nice if you tried.  But we were talking about Miss Osborn.  You were not riding on the stone-boat when you met her.  I don’t suppose you could have stopped it.”

“No,” said Kit, shortly, “I was not.”

“But I saw you and somebody else hardly a minute after the stone-boat hit the wall.”

“You saw me.”

“I did,” said Janet.  “The snow was sticking to your clothes as if you had fallen, and you looked angry when Mrs. Creighton put the lantern on the wall.”  She paused for a moment, and went on:  “I begin to see; you did come down on the stone-boat and Miss Osborn came with you.  You were both thrown off by the upset at the wall.  Well, if you persuaded her to join you in an adventure like that, it looks as if you were pretty good friends.”

Kit said nothing.  In a sense, Miss Osborn had persuaded him, and it was difficult to explain that both had really given way to a rash impulse.  Somewhat to his surprise, Janet gently touched his arm.

“Be careful, Kit!  I wouldn’t like to see you hurt.  Miss Osborn’s friends are not your kind of folk; she only wants to amuse herself when they are not about.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Kit declared.  “Miss Osborn is not amusing herself with me.”

“Perhaps you ought to know,” Janet rejoined with some dryness.  “Now I come to think of it, you’re not always very bright.  Anyhow, when she finds the game tiresome, she’ll soon get rid of you.”

“I meet Miss Osborn now and then and sometimes she stops and speaks.  That is all,” Kit said sternly.

“I imagine it’s enough,” Janet remarked.  “Well, I don’t want to see you made to look a fool; you’re rather a good sort, Kit, if you’re not very clever.  Be careful and remember you have been warned.”

She gave him a friendly nod and went off, but after a few moments turned and looked back.  Kit was walking down the road with swift angry strides.  Janet smiled, but when she entered the mill-house kitchen her face was flushed.  Soon after she sat down by the fire, Bell came in and leaned against the table with an angry frown.

“There’s two mair trucks o’ coal, and I canna find room for t’ stuff,” he said.  “Yards is full and I only sold three or four car loads last week.”

Janet knew silence was prudent when her father was disturbed, but he had given her a lead.  Kit was a fool, and although she doubted if he were as dull as he pretended, she was angry with him.  Anyhow, it might be possible to stop his ridiculous infatuation for Miss Osborn.