Above all, she was conscious of a curious sense of loss, as though the Peter she had just began to know had suddenly receded a long way off from her and would never again be able to draw nearer.
When the Seymours' car at length bore the two girls back to Edenhall Mansions, Penelope found Nan an unwontedly silent companion.

She responded to Penny's remarks in monosyllables and appeared to have nothing to say regarding the evening's happenings.
Mingled with the even throb of the engine, she could hear a constant iteration of the words: "Married! Peter's married!" And she was quite unconscious that in her mind he was already thinking of him as "Peter.".