he ejaculated in very audible tones . `` If there ai n't Mrs. Pennington 's hired girl ! '' Mrs. Keyton-Wells stiffened with horror . Winslow darted a furious glance at the tell-tale that would have annihilated anything except a small boy . Will Evans grinned and went on talking to Nelly , who had failed to hear , or at least to heed , the exclamation . The mischief was done , the social thermometer went down to zero in Nelly 's neighbourhood . The women ignored her altogether . Winslow set his teeth together and registered a mental vow to wring Rufus Hent 's sunburned neck at the first opportunity . He escorted Nelly to the table and waited on her with ostentatious deference , while Mrs. Keyton-Wells glanced at him stonily and made up her mind to tell his mother when she went home . Nelly 's social ostracism did not affect her appetite . But after lunch was over , she walked down to the skiff . Winslow followed her . `` Do you want to go home ? '' he asked . `` Yes , it 's time I went , for the cats may be raidin ' the pantry . But you must not come ; your friends here want you . '' `` Nonsense ! '' said Winslow sulkily . `` If you are going I am too . '' But Nelly was too quick for him ; she sprang into the skiff , unwound the rope , and pushed off before he guessed her intention .
`` I can row myself home and I mean XXXXX , '' she announced , taking up the oars defiantly .
If at before except for in into on to with