It was a tiny sprig of lilac.
At about that moment, the girl in blue decided that she too should be letting someone look for her, instead of the other way around. Relaxing, she turned toward the doorway and her gaze met that of the man in brown. She noticed a contrast instantly; the young man’s face looked very pale, but that was because his hair matched the color of his suit. A slight pallor would naturally be exaggerated in such a setting.
The young man smiled, both slightly and nicely, then took a few steps forward. Realizing that she was about to be accosted, the girl was worried, but only briefly. The man’s face was frank and he obviously intended to be polite. The girl started to smile in return, hesitated, then let the smile arrive.
She had seen the sprig of lilac.
“I’m Philip Harley,” the young man stated. “You expected me of course.”
The girl nodded. Then:
“And I’m Arlene Forster,” she declared. “Of course I knew that you would expect me, but I wasn’t quite sure -”
“Quite sure that I’d be here?”
“No, no.” Arlene spoke hastily. “I was certain that someone would meet me, but I wasn’t positive when it would be.”
“But the time was specified. Seven o’clock on the evening of the fifteenth.”