“Thank you!”
The hum of an automobile came in to them from the street. The car had evidently stopped in front of Mrs. Bradley’s premises. The next minute a knock was heard at her door. She went and opened it. Barry Malleson stood there, smiling.
“Mrs. Bradley, I believe?” he said.
“I am Mrs. Bradley.”
“And I am Barry Malleson, vice-president of the Malleson Manufacturing Company.”
“Yes?”
She stood in the doorway and he stood on the step. The door opened directly into the sitting-room where the Reverend Mr. Farrar was standing, ready to leave the house. Mrs. Bradley made no move, nor did she invite the vice-president of the Malleson Manufacturing Company to enter. He stood for a moment, expectantly, and then asked:
“May I come in, Mrs. Bradley? I am here on an important errand.”
“Certainly!” she moved aside, and he entered. His eyes fell upon the rector.
“Why, Farrar!” he exclaimed, “this is certainly a surprise; I may say a most agreeable surprise.”