"Indeed I am," she went on, still on that same note. "Have you seen Antonia?"
"Yes, I have."
"And isn't she----"
"We'll leave that for a moment," he said, for her effrontery began to annoy him, and his tone was curt. But instead of being alarmed or apologetic, she gave a little chuckle.
"Oh, yes, I know," she said; "of course you want an explanation; only I wanted to be sure you'd seen my great achievement first, for it is an achievement, isn't it?"
His eyebrows went up.
"Do you really expect to be praised for anything you may have done," he said, "before you offer some explanation as to why you are here masquerading as Miss Exeter?"
Pearl's face fell. He was really quite cross. It seemed hard to her that the meaningless sort of beam with which she accompanied a casual good morning had been enough to reduce the third vice president to weeping on his desk, while a particularly concentrated beam--a beam designed to say in a ladylike, yet unmistakable manner that the one man of all men was now standing before her--seemed to have no effect whatsoever on said man. She tried it nevertheless.