"The best thing," said Jonah, "is to hold a cigarette-end to the place."
"I beg your pardon," said Berry.
"Well, an iron takes such a time to heat."
In a voice shaken with emotion my brother-in-law stated that he should regard any such treatment as a treacherous and aggravated assault upon his person.
"Don't let there be any mistake about it," he concluded. "I'm not going to have any amateur life-savers burning holes in my body in the hope of being recommended by the Coroner's Jury. If I've got to die, I'll just go mad in the ordinary way, thank you. I wonder who I shall bite first," he added pleasantly.
"Don't you worry," said I. "Think what hydrophobia means."
"What does it mean?"—suspiciously.
"A horror of water," said I. "You must have had it for years."
We left the theatre about eleven o'clock.