"I won't answer. Where are you going?"
"To do my lessons with Billy. We have a tutor." Theodora spoke with a sudden air of complacency.
"What a bother! I wanted you. Do you do them, every day?"
"Yes, every morning, only we're generally at Billy's. What did you want?"
"Nothing much; only I brought on some stuff for Bess and for—my new nephews and nieces, and I thought, if you weren't busy, I'd bring it down."
"How lovely! I'll wait."
"Oh, Ted-dy!" Billy's voice, though distant, was emphatic and distinct. "Do hurry up!"
She gave a longing glance back at the young man at the top of the stairway.
"I can't wait," she said regretfully. "I don't want to go; but—it's Billy, you see."
Archie liked her loyalty.