It was the youngster who spoke, still theatrically calm:
"You'd better go into the bedroom. She'll be here in a moment. Shut the door, please. And keep away from it!"
It was one of the secrets of Philip Rockwell's success in politics that, masterful as he was, he knew when to yield. He took a step towards one of the bedrooms.
"Make it short," he pleaded.
"Eight-thirty!" said Merriam.
A gentle knocking sounded at the door.
Merriam was on his feet without volition of his own, while Rockwell, almost as instinctively, slipped into the bedroom.
Then the younger man recovered himself, sat down, his feet to the gas log and his back to the door, and called, "Come in!"
CHAPTER VII
BOY AND GIRL