glance which he flung into the room ahead of him as he entered. This
summed up his total first impression.

"Mr. Emmet!" he cried. "Come in. This is really too bad. I 'm afraid
Captain Tucker did n't give you the message correctly. I meant to call
upon you. He must have represented that I had some urgent
business--but I need n't say how I appreciate your coming, especially
on such a night."

"All kinds of weather are alike to me," Emmet answered heartily. "I
was up in this part of town, and thought I might better drop in and see
you than send a postal."

Now that he was seated, Leigh had a better opportunity for observation,
and his fuller impression was decidedly favourable. Emmet was
apparently about his own age, of medium height, with the shoulders and
bearing of an athlete. He possessed no strikingly fine feature, and
yet the whole man was handsome. One took no notice of the shape of his
nose or the line of his chin, for these points were neither excellent
nor the reverse. What gave him a claim to distinction above his
fellows was the splendidly abundant vitality that appeared unmistakably
in the rich colour of his cheeks, in his very posture, and in the
brightness of his reddish-brown eyes. It remained to be seen whether
this brightness might indicate intellect as well as health. For the
rest, for the quality that betrayed the man, his expression was not to
be read at a glance. Its major message seemed to be goodfellowship,
but the seeming failed to strengthen into certainty on closer
inspection. Here was a man who could think hiddenly, speak guardedly,
wait for others to show their cards, and do all this with a disarming
appearance of ingenuous friendliness. The atmosphere he radiated as he