“Yes.”
“Is it animal, vegetable, or amiable?”
“It’s animal.”
“Is it in this room?”
Marcus gently pointed out that they were not in a room, and Shan’t pointed out less gently that he wasn’t playing properly. Marcus had had very serious thoughts as to whether he should allow Shan’t’s version of animal, vegetable, or mineral to pass unquestioned, or whether he should tell her she wasn’t playing the game?
“Is it the poker?” asked Shan’t.
“A poker isn’t animal.”
“Then you should have said it was amiable—that’s what pokers are. I did guess quickly, didn’t I?”
At this moment Diana joined them, and the inhabitants of the square garden saw the unusual sight of that rather unfriendly Mr. Maitland sitting on a garden seat, with a child on his knee, while a girl, a very attractive girl, stood by, egging him on as it were.
“She’s going back to Aunt Elsie, Diana,” he said.