The man brought their coffee.

The place was almost empty now, and some of the lights were turned down.
"It is very kind of you," he said slowly, "to honour me by so much consideration, but if you have much to say perhaps it would be better if you permitted me to call upon you to-morrow.

I am afraid of depriving you of your ball--and your friends will be getting impatient." "Bother the ball--and my friends," she exclaimed, a certain strained note in her tone which puzzled him.

"I'm not obliged to go to the thing, and I don't want to.

I've invented a headache, and they won't even expect me.