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"Well, mercy! He always has been, ever since you were children."

"I notice a big difference since I've been home this time."

"Well, all I can say is you certainly have a strong imagination. I'm going to try to slip down without his seeing me——"

She crept slowly downstairs, pausing on creaking steps, rolling agonized eyes up toward Joe's encouraging grimaces, wrinkling her nose at J. Hartley Harrison's overshoes demurely side by side, and leaning over the banisters to examine the music peeping out from under his nice muffler and his nice gloves. "Songs!" she mouthed to Joe, making a face, pointing to "Would God I Were a Tender Apple Blossom," and Joe mouthed back, "Going to spend the evening!"

She tried to pour herself quickly around the edge of the door at the foot of the stairs, but Hartley caught sight of her, and leaped forward to draw her in.

"Ontray, ontray, My Lady Green. Don't be shy! Well, how's my best girl?"

Whose house is this, anyway? thought Kate, and said, coldly:

"'Do, Hartley. Well, Charlotte dear, was it a nice service?"

"A lovely service, Mrs. Green—pardon me, Char——lotte—a lovely, lovely service. My very good friend Mr. Broome of the Church of the Transfiguration in Beaumont preached, we were brought together in