“Selby-Harrison shall be best man,” I said.
“Oh!” said my mother, “I gathered from Lalage that you were to ask——”
“I know she doesn’t want me to get into touch with Selby-Harrison. I’ve been trying to make his acquaintance for years and she keeps on concealing him. But this time I’m determined. I’ll have Selby-Harrison or no one.”
“I gathered from Lalage that she’d prefer——”
“Very well,” I said, “I’ll have two best men. I don’t see why I shouldn’t. Who’s the other?”
“Lalage mentioned a Mr. Tithers.”
“Titherington is his name,” I said, “and if I have him I don’t see how I can very well leave out Vittie, O’Donoghue, and McMeekin. I don’t know how you feel about the matter, but I rather object to being made a public show of with five best men.”
“I’m so delighted about it,” said my mother, “that I don’t mind if you go on talking nonsense about it all the evening. Lalage will be exactly the wife you want. She’ll shake you up out of your lazy ways and make something of you in the end.”
“Has she settled that?”
“No. She and I are to have a long talk about that, sometime, soon.”