I shifted my ground.
"I didn't say I'd get him out," I explained. "I said I'd get him. Those were my very words. 'I will get George.' Can you deny that I got him?"
"Even if you said that, which you didn't, the common construction that one puts upon the phrase is——"
"If you are going to use long words like that," I said, "I must refer you to my solicitor Bolton."
Whereupon Bolton took counsel's opinion, and reported that he could not advise me to proceed in the matter. So Gerald took second wicket, and I fielded.
However, one advantage of fielding was that I saw the editor's innings from start to finish at the closest quarters. He came in at the end of the first over, and took guard for "left hand round the wicket."
"Would you give it me?" he said to Bolton. "These country umpires.... Thanks. And what's that over the wicket? Thanks."
He marked two places with the bail.
"How about having it from here?" I suggested at mid-on. "It's quite a good place and we're in a straight line with the church."
The editor returned the bail, and held up his bat again.