He came down the hill swinging his arms, like opposing pendulums, in a manner that made the rapid pace at which he approached like a long slow trot.

With the door-key in his hand, already pointed towards the key-hole, he went right through the little crowd, which cleared a wide path for him, without word or gesture of greeting on either side.

I might almost say he swooped upon the door, for with one hand on the key, and the other on the latch, he seemed to wrench it open the moment he touched it.

In he strode, followed at the heels by the troop of boys, big and little, and lastly by the girls--last of all, at a short distance, by Annie, like a motherless lamb that followed the flock, because she did not know what else to do.

She found she had to go down a step into a sunk passage or lobby, and then up another step, through a door on the left, into the school.