She dimpled mischievously.
Pause.
Someone passing smiled and nodded to him.
"I say, Miss O'Brien, see her? Think she's pretty? Well, my mater beats her hollow! Wish she was here to-night. I'd like you to know her—oh!" He gave a roar of laughter. "I'm talking! Well, I don't care!"
"I like you to talk," said she, sweetly, but rather absently. She was looking across to where Ted Lancaster stood in conversation with some friends. She was wondering when he meant to come and claim his place.
Presently he left the people he was talking to and strolled across to two boys.
Nell's head went up a little.
"Owner of this place doesn't seem to be coming," observed Pennington. "Lucky for me. I'm an awfully lucky chap. Oh, you're not going?"
"Denis is making faces at me. Everyone's gone or going. And we have an aunt who objects to us keeping late hours."
"Going, Nell?" Denis came up, laughing. "Look at the Atom shadowing poor old Yovil! He was just having a chat with that grey-haired cousin or something of his—awful nice old lady—and up came the Atom, 'You mustn't talk to her any more. Go at once and speak to the grumpy one in green!' She was pretty autocratic, and he as meek as butter."