I'll just come to anchor out here in the
entry. Don't mind me."
He bowed politely, picked up the large suit-case, plainly bran-new,
which he had momentarily placed on the rug at his feet, and, with it
in one hand and a big soft felt hat in the other, stepped back into the
hall out of sight. The astonished Mrs. Dunn and the paralyzed Edwards
heard a chair crack as if a heavy weight had descended upon it.
Evidently he had "come to anchor."
The lady was the first to recover the power of speech.
"Why!" she exclaimed, in an alarmed whisper. "Why! I never heard of
such brazen impertinence in my life. He must be insane. He is a lunatic,
isn't he, Edwards?"
The butler shook his head. "I--I don't know, ma'am," he stammered.
"I believe he is." Mrs. Dunn's presence of mind was returning, and with
it her courage. Her florid cheeks flamed a more vivid red, and her eyes
snapped. "But whether he is or not, he sha'n't bulldoze me."
She strode majestically to the door. The visitor was seated in the hall,
calmly reading a newspaper. Hat and suit-case were on the floor beside
him.
"What do you mean by this?" demanded the lady. "Who are you? If you have
any business here, state it at once."
The man glanced at her, over his spectacles, rose and stood looking down
at her.
Pages:
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62