Lavinia did seven eighths of the talking and Ellery the rest.

Kyan was silent.

When the visit was over, Miss Pepper escorted her guest to the door and bade him a voluble good-by.

Over her shoulder the minister saw Kyan making frantic signs to him; he interpreted the signals as a request for secrecy concerning the interview by the window.
Several times during the remainder of that week he surprised his housekeeper by suddenly laughing aloud when there was, apparently, nothing to laugh at.

He explained these outbursts by saying that he had thought of something funny.