"Is that necessary?"
"It will help us to be persuasive." Seeing that 'Bias still hesitated, Mr Benny went on. "May I take it, for instance, that one may credit him, as a friend of yours, with a seafaring past?"
"I do believe," responded 'Bias with a slow smile after regarding Mr
Benny for some seconds, "as you're thinkin' of Cai Hocken?"
Mr Benny laughed. "And yet it would not be so tremendous a guess,— hey?—seeing what friends you two are."
"It won't do no harm," allowed 'Bias after pondering a while, "if you took it to be Cai Hocken; though, mind you, I don't say as you're right."
"That's understood. . . . Now for the lady's occupation?"
"Well . . . you might make it farmin'—for the sake of argument."
"Now I wonder," thought Mr Benny to himself, "which of these two is lying." Aloud he began, setting pen to paper and repeating as he wrote, "'Honoured Madam,'—you don't think that too cold?"
"Why, are you able to start already?" exclaimed 'Bias in unfeigned amazement.
"I like to catch an inspiration as it springs to my brain," Mr Benny assured him. "We'll correct as we go on."