Staff sat back in his chair and looked his fill of admiration. The hat might have been designed expressly for no other purpose than to set off this woman’s imperious loveliness: such was the thought eloquent in his expression.
Satisfied with his dumb tribute, Alison lifted off the hat and deposited it upon a table.
“Find anything?” she asked lightly.
“Not a word,” said he—“not a sign of a clue.”
“What a disappointment!” she sighed. “I’m wild to know.... Suppose,” said she, posing herself before him,—“suppose the owner never did turn up after all?”
“Hum,” said Staff, perturbed by such a prospect.
“Hum,” said he a second time, non-committal.
“You couldn’t wear it yourself; it’s hardly an ornament for a bachelor’s study. What would you do with it?”
“I think,” said Staff, “I hear my cue to say: I’d give it to the most beautiful woman alive, of course.”