"Of course I am," she said reproachfully, throwing upon him the onus of evading the question. "Go on."
"I'm going on. Slow." (With a pause between each word.) "What--time --did--you--tell--me--that--the--new--lodger--came--in--to-night?"
"He came home about an hour before you."
"And you were asleep?"
"Yes, and I'm almost asleep now. That's enough for to-night, Dick."
"Not half enough, old woman," he said, shaking her without mercy. "If you were asleep, how do you know what time he came in?"
"He woke me up," replied Mrs. Chester, goaded to desperation, "with the way he slammed the door. I'll give him a bit of my mind in the morning. There's other lodgers in the house besides him, and I ain't going to have them disturbed in that way. I shouldn't wonder if some of 'em don't give us warning to-morrow. For the Lord's sake, don't talk to me any more! I've got to be up at six o'clock."
He proceeded, without paying the slightest regard to her appeal:
"When the new lodger comes home a couple of hours ago, you are asleep. He wakes you up with the way he bangs the door. He comes into the house, and goes upstairs to his room. That's it, isn't it?"
"That's it, Dick," replied Mrs. Chester listlessly.