Noble usually strived to keep emotions other than general good nature off of his face, and maintain a mask of neutrality otherwise; there was usually a great deal going on underneath, but he tried to keep it from showing. (Unbeknownst to Noble, this mask of neutrality usually presented itself as a vague worry.) Miss Cartwright startled him enough that it showed: his mouth opened in a little 'o' before he could regather himself.

Noble supposed he shouldn't be surprised: he wasn't exactly important, other than being Holden's friend, so it made sense that Miss Cartwright wouldn't know his name. Why should she? Besides that, she seemed so desperately apologetic about it that it was hard for Noble to find a way to be angry about it, especially after the emotional drain of the rest of their evening.

"Noble Greengrass," he said, after a beat. He just wanted her to stop crying, but he still didn't know her well enough to wrap an arm around her shoulders or embrace her, as he would his sisters. (Obviously he didn't know her well enough — she didn't know his name.) "That's my name. It's — it's all right that you didn't know it."

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