“He is a major in the army, sir—now on half-pay.”
“Do you know him?”
“Remarkably well,” replied McShane; “he’s a countryman of mine.”
“He’s married, sir, I think? I’ll trouble you for the pepper.”
“He is married, sir, to a very amiable woman.”
“Any family, sir?”
“Not that I know of; they have a young protégé, I believe, now at school—a boy they call Joey.”
“Indeed! how very kind of them; really, now, it’s quite refreshing for me to see so much goodness of heart still remaining in this bad world. Adopted him, I presume?”
“I really cannot exactly say that; I know that they treat him as their own child.”
“Have you seen Major McShane lately, sir?”