“Mr. Mavering!” cried Mrs. Pasmer, in a pure astonishment, before she had time to colour it with a polite variety of more conventional emotions.  She glanced at the two men, and gave a little “Oh?” of inquiry and resignation, and then said, demurely, “Let me introduce you to Mr. Mavering, Alice,” while the young fellow laughed nervously, and pulled out his handkerchief, partly to hide the play of his laughter, and partly to wipe away the perspiration which a great deal more laughing had already gathered on his forehead.  He had a vein that showed prominently down its centre, and large, mobile, girlish blue eyes under good brows, an arched nose, and rather a long face and narrow chin.  He had beautiful white teeth; as he laughed these were seen set in a jaw that contracted very much toward the front.  He was tall and slim, and he wore with elegance the evening dress which Class Day custom prescribes for the Seniors; in his button-hole he had a club button.

“I shall not have to ask an introduction to Mr. Mavering; and you’ve robbed me of the pleasure of giving him one to you, Mrs. Pasmer,” he said.

She heard the young man in the course of a swift review of what she had said to his father, and with a formless resentment of the father’s not having told her he had a son there; but she answered with the flattering sympathy she had the use of, “Oh, but you won’t miss one pleasure out of so many to-day, Mr. Mavering; and think of the little dramatic surprise!”

“Oh, perfect,” he said, with another laugh.  “I told Miss Pasmer as we came up.”

“Oh, then you were in the surprise, Alice!” said Mrs. Pasmer, searching her daughter’s eyes for confession or denial of this little community of interest.  The girl smiled slightly upon the young man, but not disapprovingly, and made no other answer to her mother, who went on:  “Where in the world have you been?  Did Mr. Munt find you?  Who told you where I was?  Did you see me?  How did you know I was here?  Was there ever anything so droll?” She did not mean her questions to be answered, or at least not then; for, while her daughter continued to smile rather more absently, and young Mavering broke out continuously in his nervous laugh, and his father stood regarding him with visible satisfaction, she hummed on, turning to the young man:  “But I’m quite appalled at Alice’s having monopolised even for a few minutes a whole Senior—­and probably an official Senior at that,” she said, with a glance at the pink and white club button in his coat lapel, “and I can’t let you stay another instant, Mr. Mavering.  I know very well how many demands you have upon you and you must go back directly to your sisters and your cousins and your aunts, and all the rest of them; you must indeed.”