"Both—I don't know. What a silly question. Boots of course! But I'm starving, too."
"Boots? Of course?"
"Certainly. He always comes first—just like Captain Selwyn with you."
"Like Captain Selwyn with me," she repeated absently; "certainly; Captain Selwyn should be first, everything else second. But how did you find out that, Drina?"
"Why, anybody can see that," said the child contemptuously; "you are as fast friends with Uncle Philip as I am with Boots. And why you don't marry him I can't see—unless you're not old enough. Are you?"
"Yes. . . . I am old enough, dear."
"Then why don't you? If I was old enough to marry Boots I'd do it. Why don't you?"
"I don't know," said Miss Erroll, as though speaking to herself.
Drina glanced at her, then flourished her be-ribboned whip, which whistling threat had no perceptible effect on the fat, red, Norwegian pony.
"I'll tell you what," said the child, "if you don't ask Uncle Philip pretty soon somebody will ask him first, and you'll be too late. As soon as I saw Boots I knew that I wanted him for myself, and I told him so. He said he was very glad I had spoken, because he was expecting a proposal by wireless from the young Sultana-elect of Leyte. Now," added the child with satisfaction, "she can't have him. It's better to be in time, you see."