"
"Here they come now," Kay warned, and glanced at him appealingly.
Her mother entered first, followed by the potato baron, with Parker
bringing up the rear. Mrs. Parker's handsome face was suffused with
confusion, and, from the hesitant manner in which she entered, Farrel
realized she was facing an ordeal.
"Mother, this is Mr. Miguel Farrel," Kay announced.
"You are welcome to my poor house, Mrs. Parker," Farrel informed her,
gravely, as he crossed the room and bent over her hand for a moment,
releasing it to grasp the reluctant hand of her husband. "A double
welcome, sir," he said, addressing Kay's father, who mumbled something in
reply and introduced him to the potato baron, who bowed ceremoniously.
"Won't you please be seated?" Farrel pleaded. He gently steered Kay's
mother to the seat on his right, and tucked her chair in under her, while
Parker performed a similar service for his daughter. With the assurance
of one whose right to do was unquestioned, Farrel took his seat at the
head of the table and reached for the little silver call-bell beside his
plate, while Parker took an unaccustomed seat opposite the potato baron.
"Considering the distressing circumstances under which I arrived," Farrel
observed, addressing himself to Mrs. Parker, and then, with a glance,
including the rest of the company, "I find myself rather happy in the
possession of unexpected company.
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