"You don't mind?" he asked, drawing his cigar-case from his pocket. "Deuced clever of you, I call it, to think of coming up here. How did you know that Black fellow wouldn't come?"
"He's too fat to climb," said Bobby. "He doesn't even like to walk."
"Thought he was quite keen about it from the way he walked with us every evening. A decent chap would not intrude."
"That's funny!" said Bobby, with twinkling eyes. "That's almost exactly what he said about you, only he didn't say intrude."
"What did he say?"
"Butt in," said Bobby.
The Honorable Percival suffered one of those acute revulsions that had become less frequent of late. At such times he marveled at himself for permitting such vulgarity in his presence.
"You Americans have the most extraordinary expressions, Miss Boynton!" he said.
"How queer that sounds!"
"What?"