They delayed their service to catch his last remark; delayed the game seriously by pausing to chat with him.

He retrieved balls for them, which also impeded progress.
When he brought the balls to the dark-eyed girl she acknowledged his courtesy with a pretty little "Thanks a lot!" Patricia varied this.

She said "Thanks a heap!" And they both rather glared at the other girl--a mere pinkish, big-eyed girl whose name was Florrie--who lingered stanchly by the new man and often kept him in talk when he should have been watchful.

Still this third girl had but little initiative.

She did insinuatingly ask Wilbur what his favourite flower was, but this got her nowhere, because it proved that he did not know.
The gentlemen across the net presently became unruly, and would play no more at a game which was merely intended, it seemed, to provide their opponents with talk of a coquettish character.