There in the doorway stood the Eagle Man. He laughed at their bewildered expressions. "I rang and rang," he explained, "and when no one answered, I looked up at the attic window and thought you must all be upstairs."
"And was the door unlocked," cried Mrs. Procter. "I thought I attended to the doors and windows right after supper."
"The door was unlocked," said the Eagle Man, "and so I took the liberty of coming right in."
"I'm glad you did," said Mr. Procter.
"Well, I need your help, Richard," said old John Massey in an affectionate tone.
"It's ready for you, Mr. Massey," the inventor answered warmly.
Suzanna gazing at her old friend, suddenly cried out: "Oh, your eyes have changed, Eagle Man, they're all nice and shiny."
He smiled with great fondness at her. "My dear," he said, "how can a man fail to indulge in nice shining eyes after contact with a family of rare visionaries?"
Suzanna did not understand that. She knew only that the Eagle Man had greatly changed, that he seemed kinder, more understanding, and all at once she knew why. He had had of late the ineffable privilege of being close to her father. Of course, by such proximity he must grow kind and understanding.
"Richard," said the capitalist, "there's trouble threatened in the foreign section of the mills."