14She opened the front door and walked straight in with a step as assured as though the house were her own, passed down the hall and into the sitting-room at the back. She knew the way, because the owner of the house used to give parties sometimes, and she had sung there. The owner of the house was sitting in his usual chair by the table and did not look up when she came in, so she paused by the door and began to talk to him.
“You should at least look up when a lady enters,” she said in a low but steady voice, “even if it is only someone like me; a great gentleman like you should have better manners, I think. Are you asleep?”
The only light in the room was a reading-lamp with a dark green shade, standing on the table. The man’s head was in shadow, but the light fell full upon his long sl
