"Bother take him!" Theodora remarked to herself. Then she added aloud, "Well, I'll be right down."
It was characteristic of Theodora that she delayed to give no glance at the mirror. Just as she was, with her ruffled hair and in her simple pink morning gown, she ran down the stairway and entered the cool, dark parlor. As she crossed the threshold, the guest rose to greet her,—a guest with a tall, athletic figure, a sunburned face, keen blue eyes, and a mass of reddish golden hair.
"Billy!"
"Ted!"
"Where did you come from?"
"'The Ankworks package.'"
"But really?"
"I landed, yesterday afternoon. I was bound to give you a surprise, and I think I've made it out. Glad to see me?"
"You dear old boy! Have you any doubts about it? How well you're looking, and how—how stunning!"
"Ditto, ma'am. The years have agreed with you, I suspect."