Bertha said, “It sounds like hell when you put it that way.”
“It’s the way the attorney for the other side will put it, Mrs. Cool.”
“Well, I guess that’s about right.”
“That’s bad, Mrs. Cool, very bad.”
“Why?”
“It means that you refused to make an investigation. It means that you had no reasonable grounds for making the accusation you did. That has a tendency to imply malice, and that, in turn, robs you of your privileged immunity.”
“Well, you’re making it sound as though you were the lawyer for the other side.”
Drumson smiled. “Just wait until you actually hear the lawyer on the other side. Now that expression of opprobrium— What was it? Let’s see... Oh, yes, a twirp — a twirp, Mrs. Cool. Why on earth did you call her that?”
Bertha flushed “Because it’s the mildest term you could use in describing the mealy mouthed little bit—”
“Mrs. Cool!” Drumson exploded.