"No—you!" he cried, leaning forward for the embrace she had invited.
A moment later he stood back again, and Elvine's eyes fell upon the mail lying upon the table.
"Some for me?" she inquired, moving toward it.
Jeff nodded. Then his smile died out. His gaze had fallen upon his own open letter. It was lying upon the table near the pile set aside for his wife, just where he had flung it down at the moment of her entrance.
"Quite a few," he said.
The unsmiling nature of his response had caught Elvine's attention.
But she picked up her letters and glanced hastily through them.
A moment later her eyes came back to his face.
"Aren't you going to finish yours?" she inquired.
She was seeking the meaning of that suddenly banished smile.
It was almost with eagerness that the man caught at the opportunity.