He fumbled with the handle of the door, opened it wide, then remembered to knock and came in.
After a scarcely perceptible pause of indecision he walked to the Brown Lady. “A letter,” he said, and pushed it very deliberately into her hand.
“Oh, Tommy,” bemoaned the Blue Lady, “have you no letter for me?”
“There was three for ee yesterday mornin’, so ’tis the turn of she.”
He jerked his thumb at Miss Dorothea who tore open the flap of the envelope, saying, “That’s quite just, Tommy.”
But when she had opened out the folded sheet within, she gave an embarrassed exclamation and flushed deeply. “I’m very sorry, Margaret, but it’s for you. I didn’t look at the address, but just opened it.”
The Blue Lady took the open sheet and envelope, and, in her turn, reddened slightly. “I thought perhaps there might be a letter,” she remarked.
“Yes,” said the Brown Lady, and silence fell between them.
Totally misunderstanding this, Tommy tried to put matters right. “’Taint fair,” he said in a loud and angry voice. “There was three for ee yesterday,” and he snatched the letter from Miss Margaret as he spoke.