"Oh, yes, ma'am, he is in! He's expecting you."
The emphasis on the last word was marked. Mrs. Mansfield looked at this woman, toward whom at once she felt friendly.
"There's some here and there that would bother him to death, I'm sure, if they was let!" continued the woman, closing the little front door gently. "But it will be a pleasure to him to see you. We all knows that!"
"I'm very glad to hear it!" responded Mrs. Mansfield, liking this unconventional but very human servant. "Mr. Heath has spoken of my coming, then?"
"I should think so, ma'am. This way, if you please!"
Mrs. Searle, Heath's cook-housekeeper, crossed the little dimly lit hall and walked quickly down a rather long and narrow passage.
"He's in the studio, ma'am," she remarked over her narrow shoulder, sharply turning her head. "Fan is with him."
"Who's Fan? A dog?"
"My little girl, ma'am."
"Oh, I beg your pardon!"