David passed between some statuary of too frank a style for Linda's modest taste and was taken over by a butler of severe aspect who announced him into the great drawing-room as Mr.
David Williams.
He recognized Rossiter at once, standing up with a tea-cup and saucer, and presumed that a fluffy, much be-furbelowed little lady at the main tea-table was Mrs.Rossiter, since she wore no hat.
There was besides a rather alarming concourse of men and women of the world as he kept his eyes firmly fixed on Mrs.Rossiter for his immediate goal.
Rossiter met him half-way, shook hands cordially and introduced him to his wife who bowed with one of her "sweet" looks.

For the moment David did not interest her.

She was much more interested in trying to give an impression of profundity to Lady Feenix who was commenting on the professor's discoveries of the strange properties of the thyroid gland.

A few introductions were effected--Lady Towcester, Lady Flower, Miss Knipper-Totes, Lady Dombey, Mr.
Lacrevy, Professor Ray Lankester, Mr.and Mrs.Gosse--and naturally for the most part David only half caught their names while they, without masking their indifference, closed their ears to his ("Some student or other from his classes, I suppose--rather nicely dressed, rather too good-looking for a young man"); and Rossiter, who had been interrupted first by Mrs.Rossiter asking him to observe that Lady Dombey had nothing on her plate, and secondly by David's entrance, resumed his discourse.

Goodness knew that he didn't _want_ to discourse on these occasions, but Society expected it of him.
There were quite twenty--twenty-two--people present and most of them--all the women--wanted to go away and say four hours afterwards: "We were (I was) at the Rossiters this afternoon, and the Professor was fascinating" ("great," "profoundly interesting," "shocking, my dear," "scandalous," "disturbing," "illuminating," "more-than-usually- enthralling-only-she-_would_-keep-interrupting-why-_is_-she-such-a-fool ?") according to the idiosyncrasy of the diner-out.