“Woz that?” asked Captain Puffin, with an air of great interest.
Miss Mapp abandoned dignity and pleasantness, and lost her temper.
“I said you were drunk,” she said with great distinctness. “Major Benjy, will you——”
Captain Puffin came carefully down the two steps from the door on to the pavement.
“Look here,” he said, “this all needs ’splanation. You say I’m drunk, do you? Well, I say you’re drunk, going out like this in mill’ of the night to post letter with no ’dress on it. Shamed of yourself, mill’aged woman going out in the mill’ of the night in the mill’ of Tilling. Very shocking thing. What do you say, Major?”
Major Benjy drew himself up to his full height, and put on his hat in order to take it off to Miss Mapp.
“My fren’ Cap’n Puffin,” he said, “is a man of strictly ’stemious habits. Boys together. Very serious thing to call a man of my fren’s character drunk. If you call him drunk, why shouldn’t he call you drunk? Can’t take away man’s character like that.”
“Abso——” began Captain Puffin. Then he stopped and pulled himself together.
“Absolooly,” he said without a hitch.
“Tilling shall hear of this to-morrow,” said Miss Mapp, shivering with rage and sea-mist.