He hammered and hammered at the door; couldn't get any response; didn't understand it.

Anybody else would have regarded that as an indication of some kind or other and would have drawn inferences and gone home.

But Orion didn't draw inferences, he merely hammered and hammered, and finally the father of the girl appeared at the door in a dressing-gown.

He had a candle in his hand and the dressing-gown was all the clothing he had on--except an expression of unwelcome which was so thick and so large that it extended all down his front to his instep and nearly obliterated the dressing-gown.

But Orion didn't notice that this was an unpleasant expression.