The butler's face twitched for an instant with a troubled smile. Then it
resumed its customary respectful calm.

"I hardly know, ma'am. He's an oddish man. He--I think he's from the
country."

From behind him came a quiet chuckle.

"You're right, Commodore," said a man s voice; "I'm from the country.
You guessed it."

Edwards jumped, startled out of his respectable wits. Mrs. Dunn rose
indignantly from her chair.

"I beg your pardon, ma'am," said the intruder, appearing in the doorway.
"You mustn't think I'm forcin' my way where I ain't wanted. But it
seemed to take so long to make the Admiral here understand that I was
goin' to wait until Caroline came back that I thought I'd save time and
breath by provin' it to him. I didn't know there was any company. Excuse
me, ma'am, I won't bother you. 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.