'Can't you leave a message?' he said rather more civilly.
'No,' said Anne. 'It's something I must see Lady Nearn herself about.'
She had the sense not to speak of the found ornament to him. Of course it would have been no use, as Lady Nearn wouldn't have left it with a servant.
'We're friends of—at least we know Mrs. Barry's children,' Anne went on. 'Can't you let us come in and wait, if Lady Nearn will be in soon?'
For it was very chilly on the doorstep, and indeed both Anne and Serry were very tired by this time—coming straight from the dancing, and losing their way to Rodney Square, and it being past tea-time and all.
The footman seemed to consider.
'Step inside,' he said at last; 'I'll see what—somebody—says,' They didn't catch the name.
It wasn't nearly such a grand house as the one next door. The hall was quite small, and there was no fireplace in it.
'You can take a seat,' said the man, and he went off. 'Somebody' must have taken a good while to find, for he didn't come back for ever so long. I suppose once he saw them in the light, he was satisfied they weren't beggars or anything like that.
They were glad to sit down, and it felt warm in the hall compared to outside. There was a door close to where they were. It was one of those houses that have the dining-room at the back and the library to the front, you know, and the door was the library door.