“I certainly should. I’ve already collected a few samples of Benny’s descriptive powers.”
“Then you shall have this one. Sit down, Mr. Smith.” She motioned him to a chair, and dropped easily into one herself. “Benny said you were tall and not fat; that you had a wreath of light hair ’round a bald spot, and whiskers that were clipped as even as Mr. Pennock’s hedge; and that your lips, without speaking, said, ‘Run away, little boy,’ but that your eyes said, ‘Come here.’ Now I think Benny did pretty well.” “So I judge, since you recognized me without any difficulty,” rejoined Mr. Smith, a bit dryly. “But—YOU—? You see you have the advantage of me. Benny hasn’t described you to me.” He paused significantly.
“Oh, I’m just here to help out. Mrs. Blaisdell is ill upstairs—one of her headaches. That is why I asked you not to ring. She gets so nervous when the bell rings. She thinks it’s callers, and that she won’t be ready to receive them; and she hurries up and begins to dress. So I asked you not to ring.”
“But she isn’t seriously ill?”
“Oh, no, just a headache. She has them often. You wanted to see her?”
“Yes. But it’s not important at all. Another time, just as well. Some questions—that is all.”
“Oh, for the book, of course. Oh, yes, I have heard about that, too.” She smiled again brightly. “But can’t you wait? Mr. Blaisdell will soon be here. He’s coming early so I can go home. I have to go home.”
“And you are—”
“Miss Duff. My name is Duff.”
“You don’t mean—‘Poor Maggie’!” (Not until the words were out did Mr. Smith realize quite how they would sound.) “Er—ah—that is—” He stumbled miserably, and she came to his rescue.