A servant passed in the hall to answer the door and Lottie Nelson at once left the room. When she reached the vestibule the footman was taking Robert Kimberly's coat. She walked well up to Robert before she spoke: "At last!"
"I went back to The Towers for a moment," said Kimberly in explanation. "Are Charles and Nelson here?"
"And is that all after a month--'Are Charles and Nelson here?'!" echoed Lottie patiently and with a touch of intimate reproach.
"We have a conference to-night, you know, Lottie. How are you?"
She put back her abundant hair: "Why didn't you call up last week when you were home to find out?"
"I was home only overnight. And I came late and left before you were awake. You know I have been at the new refinery for a week. We began melting yesterday."
"At the big one?"
"At the big one."
She took hold of the lei that he had worn over from the dance and in a leisurely way made a pretence of braiding the stem of a loose rose back into it. "This is the prettiest I've seen," said Lottie. "Who gave it to you?"
"Grace. What is the matter with it?" he asked looking down at her white fingers.