"Oh, nobody in whom you're at all specially interested, I'm afraid."
Alex did not miss the implication, and coloured angrily.
"I'm going to play with that artist, the one staying with the Russells. He isn't at all a good player," said Barbara smoothly.
"Then why are you playing with him?"
Barbara smiled rather self-consciously. "It would hardly do to annex the best partners for ourselves, would it?" she inquired. "And we're trying to equalize the setts as far as possible. Cedric has to play with the youngest Russell girl, who's too utterly hopeless."
"I shall take all her balls," said Cedric calmly, "so it'll be all right. She doesn't mind any amount of poaching. We shall lose on her serves, of course, but that may be just as well."
"Why, dear?" innocently inquired Lady Isabel.
"I don't think it looks well to carry off a prize at one's own show," Cedric said candidly.
"I should rather love the Indian bangles," owned Barbara, glancing enviously at the array of silver trifles that constituted the prizes.
"You won't get them, my child—not with McAllister as your partner. You'll see, Lady Essie Cameron will get them, or one of the Nottinghams, if they're in good form."