Napier Kirby had appropriated Kathleen—she never quite knew how; but something impudently efficient in his monopolization rather pleased her. It was evident that she was popular to-day. She wondered for an instant if the man's sense of rivalry had been flicked by the sight of her marching off with Master Ted; then dismissed the notion of such childishness....
But she was right in her intuition. When it came to mutual exasperation, Napier and his stepson treated one another as equals. They were both as young as the man—as old as the boy. During one of their frequent rows, Grace had been heard to say, in her sweetly detached fashion, that what each of them needed was a thorough spanking.
Infernally bad for Teddy to suppose he could stake an undisputed claim on the most attractive woman of the party! Kirby had been quite put out by sight of the pair strolling away between the trees. Quickly he had made up his mind that Kathleen should walk home with him....
"Let the others get ahead," in a masterful undertone.
Lulu Collins also lingered regretfully on the scene of recent orgy.
"What ... fun it was!" she breathed—and sped off to join her husband.
"'The last sigh of the Moor'!" laughed Nap Kirby. "You know that when Boabdil had to abandon Granada to Ferdinand, he paused on the hill for a final glimpse backwards at his Alhambra. And I daresay he said: 'What ... fun it was!'"
"At any rate, it's history what his mother said: 'Aye, weep like a woman for what thou couldst not defend as a man!'—which was rather unnecessarily rubbing it in, I always thought."
"But typical of a mother. Mine would have said it like a shot!"
"Poor Boabdil," murmured Kathleen ... who had said it on numerous occasions to her private and particular Boabdil.