He looked at her sharply, suddenly suspecting that his auditor was not perfectly sympathetic. She smiled a little at the images passing through her mind, and Leonard, taking her remark for badinage, allowed his own features to relax to their original amiability.
'You're not married, either, I suppose,' he remarked.
'No,' said Esther. 'I'm like your sister Hannah.'
He shook his head sceptically.
'Ah, I expect you'll be looking very high,' he said.
'Nonsense!' murmured Esther, playing with her bouquet.
A flash passed across his face, but he went on in the same tone.
'Ah, don't tell me! Why shouldn't you? Why, you're looking perfectly charming to-night.'
'Please don't,' said Esther. 'Every girl looks perfectly charming when she's nicely dressed. Who and what am I? Nothing. Let us drop the subject.'
'All right; but you must have grand ideas, else you'd have sometimes gone to see my people, as in the old days.'