“ ’Bout ten. But the elder ones didn’t seem to matter much.”
There was a dead silence, and David gathered himself up within himself. Then conversation began again, with rustling of the leaves of Bibles, to refresh memories.
“I suppose Jesse was a Jew.”
“Oh, rather. That’s why Bags is so keen about his kids. I say, it’s sausages to-morrow, isn’t it?”
“Yes; Bags and Jesse and the kids won’t have any breakfast. Bad luck.”
David looked up, and caught Bags’s mild eye, which was gleaming with sympathetic martyrdom. Then the attack became more direct.
“I say, Da—I mean, Blazes—I hope you had a good blow-out to-night.”
David had got a certain fighting-light in his eye, which Bags altogether lacked. He replied briskly:
“Yes, thanks,” he said. “But why?”
“Oh, I didn’t know. As there are sausages for breakfast——” and a subdued giggle went round.