“Pardon the familiarity–‘vulgar familiarity’ you used to call it–Agnes. But ‘what’s bred in the bone,’ you know.”
“It doesn’t matter so much when there’s no one else around, but it’s awkward before people.” 221
“You wouldn’t marry me on account of my tongue!” said he with sour reminiscence.
“It wasn’t so much that, Jerry,” she chided, “and you know it perfectly well.”
“Oh, well, if a man does take a drink now and then––” he discounted.
“But many drinks, and frequently, are quite different,” she reproved.
“We’ll not fuss about it.”
“Far from it,” she agreed.
“I didn’t come down to open old matters, although I suppose you thought that was my intention when you dodged me and stuck so close to that tin-horn doctor up at Meander.”
“It’s comforting to know you haven’t come for–that,” said she, ignoring his coarse reference to Slavens.