him in!"

She turned to the door, smiling cordially, even before she opened
it. "Do come right in, Mr. Russell," she said, loudly, lifting
her voice for additional warning to those above. "I'm SO glad to
receive you informally, this way, in our own little home.
There's a hat-rack here under the stairway," she continued, as
Russell, murmuring some response, came into the hall. "I'm
afraid you'll think it's almost TOO informal, my coming to the
door, but unfortunately our housemaid's just had a little
accident--oh, nothing to mention! I just thought we better not
keep you waiting any longer. Will you step into our living-room,
please?"

She led the way between the two small columns, and seated herself
in one of the plush rocking-chairs, selecting it because Alice
had once pointed out that the chairs, themselves, were less
noticeable when they had people sitting in them. "Do sit down,
Mr. Russell; it's so very warm it's really quite a trial just to
stand up!"

"Thank you," he said, as he took a seat. "Yes. It is quite warm."
And this seemed to be the extent of his responsiveness for the
moment. He was grave, rather pale; and Mrs. Adams's impression
of him, as she formed it then, was of "a distinguished-looking
young man, really elegant in the best sense of the word, but timid
and formal when he first meets you." She beamed upon him, and
used with everything she said a continuous accompaniment of laughter,
meaningless except that it was meant to convey cordiality. "Of
course we DO have a great deal of warm weather," she informed him.