"The appointment is made all the same," he remarked.
Benham bowed and returned to his friends. The Premier, seeing Eleanor and Alicia in front of him, overtook and joined them.
"Are you walking home?" he asked.
"Mr. Coxon is escorting us," answered Eleanor, indicating that gentleman, who was walking with them.
Perhaps Mr. Coxon in his day-dreams looked forward to the time when he should fight the Premier for his place and defeat him. He did not expect to have to fight with him for a position by a girl's side. Nevertheless he found, to his chagrin, that Medland did not pair off with Eleanor Scaife, but continued to walk by and talk to Alicia. Being a man of much assurance, he hazarded a protesting glance at Alicia: she met it with an impossible intensity of unconsciousness, and Eleanor maliciously opened fire upon him out of the batteries with which Tomes supplied her, at the same time quickening her pace and compelling him to leave the others behind.
Alicia glanced up at Medland.
"I thought of what you said the other night all the time," she began; "but you did not say it so well to-day."
"Ah, you remember the other night?"
"You were bold and straightforward then. I thought—I thought you fenced with it a little to-day."