“I’m not certain that I have come to the right place,” Nancy returned. “You see, I am tracing a girl by the name of Mary Mason—”
“Mary Mason!” the woman exclaimed sharply.
“Yes. Did she work for you?”
“Indeed, she did,” Mrs. Stonewell returned dryly. “That is, at one time.”
“Then, if you don’t mind, I’d like to ask you a few questions about her.”
“Why should I answer them? Is she in trouble?”
“I can’t tell you the details of the case, Mrs. Stonewell, but she is under suspicion. You will be doing the law a service if you tell me all you know about her.”
“I see, you’re a detective,” Mrs. Stonewell said, in an awed tone. “I’ll tell you everything I know about her—which isn’t a great deal. She worked for me five or six months ago. I kept her for a month and let her go.”
“A month?” Nancy questioned, in surprise. She recalled that in the reference Mary Mason had displayed it was stated that the girl had been employed by Mrs. Stonewell for more than a year.
“Yes, she did not prove satisfactory. I really hated to discharge her, for she came from a very poor family and no doubt needed the money. Still, I couldn’t put up with her insolent manners.”
“You gave her a good recommendation, I think.”
“Indeed, I didn’t.”
“That’s odd,” Nancy commented. “Mary Mason applied at my home for work, and I remember that she showed me a recommendation from you.”