"Am I awfully early? You did expect me to tea?"
"And you're never on the late side, are you?" Clare was still smiling, but her tone stung.
Alwynne got up quickly.
"I'm very sorry. Don't bother about me. I'll arrange these things while you finish. I didn't know you were really busy."
Clare put out her hand to the table behind her.
"I'm not busy. It seems one mayn't tease you since you've stayed at Dene."
"That's not fair. It's only that—that sometimes now you tease with needles—you used to tease with straws."
"So I had better not tease at all?"
"You know I don't mean that."