Lawrence got up at once. “Here comes your sister,” he remarked, “with her usual train of admirers. If you will not mind making excuses for me, I will say good-by, as I have to ride on to Carlingford;” and he hurried away.
“Where’s his august majesty off to, in such a hurry?” asked Paddy, as she came up. “I was just going to ask him to reserve the supper-dance for me, as I always like a supper-partner who thinks it is too much trouble to talk, and so leaves more time for eating.”
“He had to ride on to Carlingford,” said Eileen, rising, “so he asked me to excuse him to you. How do you do, Mr Masterman? I am glad to hear you are going to remain for the ball after all.”
“Thank you,” Ted answered heartily. “I wouldn’t have missed it for anything, if I could possibly help it.”
“Mr Masterman has just saved my life, or at any rate my beauty,” remarked Paddy. “What do you think I ought to do?”
“How?” questioned Eileen.
“Well, you see, I caught my foot on the top of the wall, when I somewhat hastily left the Parsonage just now, and he happened to be on the other side, in just the right spot to catch me.”
“I expect the poor chap was nearly crushed to death,” remarked Jack. “He’ll go home with a nice opinion of wild Irish girls.”
“I shall, indeed,” was the fervent rejoinder, looking hard at Paddy; but as usual she was already attending to something quite different, and the remark, with its double meaning was entirely lost upon her.
Later on, they all four strolled down to the water after dinner, and Jack managed to detain Eileen a little behind the others.