'And all because I've told him about my Girls' Club! and----'
'Yes,' he said, '"and"----' He turned away and shook hands with his two kinsmen. He sat talking to them with his back to the girl.
It was a study in those delicate weights and measures that go to estimating the least tangible things in personality, to note how his action seemed not only to dim her vividness but actually to efface the girl. In the first moments she herself accepted it at that. Her looks said: He is not aware of me any more--ergo, I don't exist.
During the slight distraction incident to the bringing in of tea, and Mr. Freddy's pushing up some of the big chairs, Mr. Stonor had a moment's remembrance of her. He spoke of his Scottish plans and fell to considering dates. Then all of a sudden she saw that again and yet more woundingly his attention had wandered. The moment came while Lord Borrodaile was busy Russianizing a cup of tea, and Mr. Freddy, balancing himself on very wide-apart legs in front of his wife's tea-table, had interrogated her--
'What do you think, shall I ring and say we aren't at home?'
'Perhaps it would be----' Mrs. Freddy's eye flying back from Stonor caught her brother-in-law's. 'Freddy'--she arrested her husband as he was making for the bell--'say, "except to Miss Levering."'
'All right. Except to Miss Levering.' And it was at that point that Jean saw she wasn't being listened to.
Even Mrs. Freddy, looking up, was conscious of something in Stonor's face that made her say--
'Old Sir Hervey's youngest daughter. You knew _him_, I suppose, even if you haven't met her. Jean, you aren't giving Mr. Stonor anything to eat.'
'No, no, thanks. I don't know why I took this.' He set down his tea-cup. 'I never have tea.'
'You're like everybody else,' said the girl, in a half-petulant aside.
She lowered her voice while the others discussed who had already been sent away, and who might still be expected to invade.
'Nobody remembers anybody else when that Miss Levering of theirs is to the fore. You began to say when--to talk about Scotland.'
He had taken out his watch. 'I was wondering if the children were down yet. Shall we go and see?'
'Sh!' Mrs. Freddy held up a finger and silenced her little circle. 'They must have thought I was ringing for toast--somebody's being let in!'