“Very little, sir. A plain gold brooch representing a merry-thought—the merry-thought of a sparrow, I should say, sir. The only other article was a smooth-backed gun-metal watch, suspended from a gun-metal bow.”
“Nothing showy or expensive, eh?”
“Oh dear no, sir. Quite appropriate for a young person of her position.”
“Just what I should have expected.” He slackened his pace. “We are passing a hoarding, are we not?”
“Yes, sir.”
“We will stand here a moment. Read me the letterpress of the poster before us.”
“This ‘Oxo’ one, sir?”
“Yes.”
“‘Oxo,’ sir.”
Carrados was convulsed with silent laughter. Parkinson had infinitely more dignity and conceded merely a tolerant recognition of the ludicrous.