"Don't be silly," she replied. "I couldn't hear a word, but I know her stock in trade."
There was a little stir at the farther end of the table. Lord Dredlinton had left his place and was standing behind Phipps, with his hands upon his shoulders. He seemed to be shouting something in his ear. At that moment he recognised Wingate. He staggered up the farther side of the table towards him, butting into a waiter on the way and pausing for a moment to curse him, Flossie jogged Wingate's elbow.
"What fun!" she whispered. "Here's Lord Dredlinton, absolutely blotto!"
CHAPTER IX
Wingate from the first had a prescience of disagreeable things. There was malice in Dredlinton's pallid face, the ugly twist of his lips and the light in his bloodshot eyes. He paused opposite to them, and leaning his hands on the back of the nearest chair, spoke across the table.
"Hullo, Flossie!" he exclaimed. "How are you, old dear? How are you, Wingate?"
Wingate replied with cold civility, Flossie with a careless nod.
"I do hope," she whispered to her companion, glancing into the mirror which she had just drawn from her bag, "that Lord Dredlinton isn't going to be foolish. He does embarrass me so sometimes."
"I say," Dredlinton went on, "what are you doing here, Wingate? I didn't know this sort of thing was in your line."
Wingate raised his eyebrows but made no response. Dredlinton shook his head reproachfully at Miss Lane.