“I should have thought, Rogers, that you would have known better by this time, than make such an apology to ME.”
“God bless you, sir. An old man’s safe with you—or a young lass, either, sir,” he added, turning with a smile to his daughter.
I turned, and addressed Mr Boulderstone.
“I am greatly obliged to you, Mr Boulderstone, for the help you have given me this evening. I’ve seen you talking to everybody, just as if you had to entertain them all.”
“I hope I haven’t taken too much upon me. But the fact is, somehow or other, I don’t know how, I got into the spirit of it.”
“You got into the spirit of it because you wanted to help me, and I thank you heartily.”
“Well, I thought it wasn’t a time to mind one’s peas and cues exactly. And really it’s wonderful how one gets on without them. I hate formality myself.”
The dear fellow was the most formal man I had ever met.
“Why don’t you dance, Mr Brownrigg?”
“Who’d care to dance with me, sir? I don’t care to dance with an old woman; and a young woman won’t care to dance with me.”