"Shall I wait for you?" asked the hackman.
"No; I may be in the house some time."
He paid for the cab and rang the doorbell.
"Is Mrs. Loring at home?" asked Mark of the servant who answered the bell.
"Yes, sir, but I don't know if she will see you."
"Tell her that I come from Mr. Swan of New York."
"She will see you," said the servant returning after a short absence.
Mark was ushered into the reception room, and in a few minutes a pleasant-looking woman of middle age entered. She seemed surprised when her glance rested upon Mark.
"Surely you are not Mr. Swan's messenger?" she said.
"Yes, madam."