explained in her high level voice that servants and service were always
dispensed with at her Sunday nights. She rather carelessly indicated a seat
to Mrs. Keith, and remarked to Keith that he was to sit next herself.
Otherwise the party distributed itself. Ben Sansome promptly annexed the
chair next to Nan, and started in to make himself agreeable.

A complete freemasonry obtained among all the party. There was a great deal
of shouting back and forth, from one end of the table to the other. Each
seemed to have a nickname. One young man was known exclusively as "Popsy,"
another answered as "Zou-zou," a third was called "Billy Goat"; a very
vivid, flashing young woman was "Teeny," and so on. They conversed, or
rather shouted, to a great extent by means of catch words or phrases,
alluding evidently to events the purport of which the Keiths could by no
possibility guess. There were a great many private jokes, the points of
which were obvious to only one or two. Every once in a while some one would
say "Number Seven!" and everybody would go off into convulsions of
laughter. The vivid young woman called Teeny suddenly shrieked, "How about
Friday, the twenty-third?" at Popsy, to Popsy's obvious consternation and
confusion. Immediately every one turned on either Popsy or Teeny, demanding
the true inwardness of the remark. Popsy defended himself, rather pink and
embarrassed. The young woman, a devilish knowing glint in her eyes, her red
underlip caught between her teeth, refused to answer.

Keith warmed to this free and easy atmosphere. He was friendly and
sympathetic with the lively crowd. But in vain he tried for a point of
contact. All this badinage depended on a previous knowledge and intimacy,
and that, of course, he lacked. Mrs. Morrell, sitting beside him very
straight and commanding, delivered her general remarks in a high, clear
voice, turning her attention impartially now to one part of the noisy
table, now to another.