"Not at all," replied her husband. "I was confused. A large and critical crowd had collected to watch my prowess, and I was pardonably nervous."
"But what happened?" said Adèle.
"Well," said I, "naturally nobody was expecting such a move, with the result that the brute got off about six balls before they could stop him. The execution among the prizes was too awful. You see, they were only about six feet away. The owner excepted, the assembled populace thought it was the funniest thing they'd ever seen."
"Yes," chimed in Jill. "And then he turned round and asked the man how many bottles he'd won."
"I never was so ashamed," said Daphne. "Of course the poor man was nearly off his head."
"And I paid for the damage," said Jonah.
I looked across at Adèle.
"So, if he comes with us," I said, "you know what to expect."
My lady threw back her head and laughed.
"I suppose you're to be trusted," she said.