“Yes. You are to be congratulated on the delightful nature of such a charge.”
“But you admit that it is one which entails a grave responsibility?”
“The gravest responsibility,” he replied.
“Well, then, the gravity of that responsibility must be my excuse for what I am about to say. Don’t you think you come here rather often?”
She was exasperated by his imperturbability. She could see he meant fencing, wherefore she clubbed him without further preliminary.
“Do I?” he answered, in the same even tone.
She could hardly restrain her wrath, and her voice took a higher pitch.
“Do you?” she echoed somewhat stupidly, because fast losing her temper. “Well, when I tell you people are beginning to talk about it?”
“Yes; they would be sure to do that. You see, they have so little to talk about, all crowded up together here.”
She was taken wildly aback. The unparalleled impudence of the man, taking everything for granted in this way!