The Duchess saw Larry first; and she greeted him in the same unsurprised, emotionless manner as on the night he had come back from Sing Sing.
"Good-evening, Larry," said she.
"Good-evening, grandmother," he returned.
Hunt came to his feet, knocking over a chair in so doing, and gripped Larry's hand.

"Hello--here's our wandering boy to-night! How are you, son ?" "First-rate, you old paint-slinger.

And you ?" "Hitting all twelve cylinders and taking everything on high! But say, listen, youngster: how about your copper friends and those gun-toting schoolmates of yours ?" "Missed them so far." "Better keep on missing 'em." Hunt regarded him intently for a moment, then asked abruptly: "Never heard one way or another--but did you use that telephone number I gave you ?" "Yes." "Miss Sherwood take care of you ?" "Yes." "Still there ?" "Yes." Again Hunt was silent for a moment.

Larry expected questions about Miss Sherwood, for he knew the quality of the painter's interest.

But Hunt seemed quite as determined to avoid any personal question relating to Miss Sherwood as she had been about personal questions relating to him; for his next remark was: "Young fellow, still keeping all those commandments you wrote for yourself ?" "So far, my bucko." "Keep on keeping 'em, and write yourself a few more, and you'll have a brand-new decalogue.