She thought confession was coming, and unbent encouragingly.

"There, there, that is better, Katherine.

Now be advised by us, and get this dreadful load off your mind.

You will be so much happier when you have." Kitty drove back her tears and her weakness, and her gray eyes grew clear enough to show plainly the hurt and the anger which burnt in her brain as she listened to this insulting cajoling, as she termed it in her own mind.
"How dare you!" she cried indignantly.

"How dare you fasten it on to me! I know who the girl was, and she knows that I know, but you _want_ to believe that I did it, and--and you can if you want to.