Dr. Hooper took no notice of her complaints. He was saying to his
niece--"This is Alice, Constance--and Nora! You'll hardly remember each
other again, after all these years."

"Oh, yes, I remember quite well," said a clear, high-pitched voice. "How
do you do!--how do you do?"

And the girl held a hand out to each cousin in turn. She did not offer
to kiss either Alice or Nora. But she looked at them steadily, and
suddenly Nora was aware of that expression of which she had so vivid
although so childish a recollection--as though a satiric spirit sat
hidden and laughing in the eyes, while the rest of the face was
quite grave.

"Come in and have some tea. It's quite ready," said Alice, throwing open
the drawing-room door. Her face had cleared suddenly. It did not seem to
her, at least in the shadows of the hall, that her cousin Constance was
anything of a beauty.

"I'm afraid I must look after Annette first. She's much more important
than I am!"

And the girl ran back to where a woman in a blue serge coat and skirt
was superintending the carrying in of the luggage. There was a great
deal of luggage, and Annette, who wore a rather cross, flushed air,
turned round every now and then to look frowningly at the old gabled
house into which it was being carried, as though she were more than
doubtful whether the building would hold the boxes. Yet as houses went,
in the older parts of Oxford, Medburn House, Holywell, was roomy.