In vain the poor girl protested against this breach of hospitality. Mother
Bonneton held her ground grimly, declaring that she had a duty to perform
and would perform it.

"What duty?" asked the American.

"A duty to M. Groener."

At this name Alice started apprehensively. Kittredge knew that she had a
cousin named Groener, a wood carver who lived in Belgium, and who came to
Paris occasionally to see her and to get orders for his work. On one
occasion he had met this cousin and had judged him a well-meaning but
rather stupid fellow who need not be seriously considered in his efforts to
win Alice.

"Do you mean that M. Groener does not approve of me?" pursued Kittredge.

"M. Groener knows nothing about you," answered Mother Bonneton, "except
that you have been hanging around this foolish girl. But he understands his
responsibility as the only relation she has in the world and he knows she
will respect his wishes as the one who has paid her board, more or less,
for five years."

"Well?"

"Well, the last time M. Groener was here, that's about a month ago, he
asked me and my husband to make inquiries about _you_, and see what we
could find out."