A tall man came out, wearing his great coat
and his hat, and rapidly approached the drawing-room. His gait betrayed
him, while he was still too far off for his features to be seen. Before
he was quite half-way across the Hall, Magdalen had recognized--the
admiral.
He looked, not irritated only, but surprised as well, at finding his
parlor-maid waiting for him in the drawing-room, and inquired, sharply
and suspiciously, what she wanted there? Magdalen replied that she had
come there to answer the bell. His face cleared a little when he heard
the explanation. "Yes, yes; to be sure," he said. "I did ring, and
then I forgot it." He pulled the sliding door back into its place as he
spoke. "Coals," he resumed, impatiently, pointing to the empty scuttle.
"I rang for coals."
Magdalen went back to the kitchen regions. After communicating the
admiral's order to the servant whose special duty it was to attend to
the fires, she returned to the pantry, and, gently closing the door, sat
down alone to think.
It had been her impression in the drawing-room--and it was her
impression still--that she had accidentally surprised Admiral Bartram on
a visit to the east rooms, which, for some urgent reason of his own, he
wished to keep a secret.
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