"Yes," she said, with confusion, while the flash of conjecture faded away.
"Mr. Brandreth," said her visitor, whom she now saw to be much younger than
Mr. Peck could be. He looked not much more than twenty-two or twenty-three;
his damp hair waved and curled upon his temples and forehead, and his blue
eyes lightened from a beardless and freshly shaven face. "I called this
morning because I felt sure of finding you at home."
He smiled at his reference to the weather, and Annie smiled too as she
again answered, "Yes?" She did not want his books, but she liked something
that was cheerful and enthusiastic in him; she added, "Won't you step into
the study?"
"Thanks, yes," said the young man, flinging off his gossamer, and hanging
it up to drip into the pan of the hat rack. He gathered up his books from
the chair where he had laid them, and held them at his waist with both
hands, while he bowed her precedence beside the study door.
"I don't know," he began, "but I ought to apologise for coming on a day
like this, when you were not expecting to be interrupted."
"Oh no; I'm not at all busy. But you must have had courage to brave a storm
like this."
"No. The truth is, Miss Kilburn, I was very anxious to see you about a
matter I have at heart--that I desire your help with."
"He wants me," Annie thought, "to give him the use of my name as a
subscriber to his book"--there seemed really to be a half-dozen books in
his bundle--"and he's come to me first."
"I had expected to come with Mrs. Munger--she's a great friend of mine;
you haven't met her yet, but you'll like her; she's the leading spirit
in South Hatboro'--and we were coming together this morning; but she was
unexpectedly called away yesterday, and so I ventured to call alone."
"I'm very glad to see you, Mr. Brandreth," Annie said. "Then Mrs. Munger
has subscribed already, and I'm only second fiddle, after all," she
thought.
"The truth is," said Mr. Brandreth, "I'm the factotum, or teetotum, of the
South Hatboro' ladies' book club, and I've been deputed to come and see if
you wouldn't like to join it."
"Oh!" said Annie, and with a thrill of dismay she asked herself how much
she had let her manner betray that she had supposed he was a book agent. "I
shall be very glad indeed, Mr. Brandreth."