“You needn't get so cross about it,” said Antonia. “Personally I rather agree with Murgatroyd.”
“People who start a sentence with personally (and they're always women) ought to be thrown to the lions. It's a repulsive habit.”
“I probably must have caught it from Violet,” said Antonia musingly.
“Shut up about Violet! Does she really say it?”
“Often.”
“I'll tell her about it. What - for the fiftieth time - is her number?”
“Nothing four nine six, or something. You'd better look it up. Did either of you take the dogs for a walk this morning?”
“Take the dogs for a walk? No, of course I didn't,” said Kenneth, flicking over the leaves of the telephone directory. “Hell, someone'll have to do this for me! There are pages of Williams! Blast the wench, why must she have a surname like that?”
“There's no call for you to swear,” said Murgatroyd.
“You want to look for the initial. No, Miss Tony, you know very well that one thing I won't do is take those murdering dogs of yours out. You get rid of them and have a nice little fox-terrier, and we'll see.”