If Anne heard, she made no reply, she was exploring.

Downstairs, a wide hall occupied a central third of the house; it was
well lighted by the windows each side the front door, and by double
doors of glass, which opened on to the back porch. On one side the hall
were kitchen and pantry, nearly equal in size, and glistening with white
paint, aluminum, and blue and white porcelain. With a hasty glance over
these treasures, to which she was coming back, Anne stepped out into the
hall again, and around to the front of the winding staircase, and
entered what she knew at once for the "owner's bedroom." There were
windows on two sides, as this was a front room, and each broad sill bore
its own pot of ferns. The furniture here was all old-fashioned, of some
dark wood that had been rubbed to a satin finish, the floor was of plain
surface, with braided mats, and a blue and white counterpane provided
the only bit of drapery in the room. Anne's bright head nodded with
satisfaction. Here was character; to win Aunt Susan's respect would be
no light task, her personal and intimate belongings showed an austere
sense of values and an almost surgical cleanliness. Yet Aunt Susan could
not be a martinet; her hall, furnished for other people, showed due
regard for their comfort; the living room, which took the entire western
side of the cottage, bore unmistakable signs of much occupancy, with
wide and varied interests. A set of dark shelves, at the lower end, held
china, and suggested that one might also eat at the refectory table,
which was furnished as a desk and held a few books, many writing
materials, and a foreign-looking lamp. There was also a piano, well
littered with music, a sewing bag thrown down upon a cretonned window
seat, and the generous fireplace was flanked by two huge baskets, one
heaped with magazines, the other a perfectly round mound of yellow fur,
which suddenly took form and life as a yellow tabby cat fastened hopeful
topaz eyes upon them, blinked away a brief disappointment, and then
yawned with ennui.

"His missie left him all alone," said Anne, bending to stroke the smooth
head. "What's upstairs, Burt?"

"Go and look, I'll take your place with the Admiral until you come
back," offered Burt, and at sound of his name the yellow cat jumped out
and began rubbing against a convenient table leg. Anne found them in the
same relative positions when she returned from her inspection of the
upper floor.

"Your Aunt S