Merriam walked over to Mollie June and put his hands on the back of the chair in which she had been sitting prior to the entrance of Alicia.
"Hadn't you better sit down?" he said.
"Yes, if you'll move it up a little." She wanted to be closer to the rest of the group.
He pushed the chair forward, and she sat and smiled up at him:
"Thank you!"
A woman's eyes are never so appealingly beautiful as in a quick upward glance. Merriam fell suddenly more deeply in love with her than he had ever been. And he was for the moment very happy. There was something between them, something very slight, as tenuous and as innocent as youth itself, but existent and precious.
Rockwell turned from the telephone.
"He's not there," he said, "and he's not been there."
(There was a tacit conspiracy among them, on account of Mollie June, not to refer more definitely to George's destination.)
"Not!" exclaimed Aunt Mary. Like the men, she was still standing. She looked at Alicia. "The driver was instructed to go directly there?"