farrant. Not twenty words in it . . quite enough though.
horsham. His habit of being explicit . . of writing things down . . I know!
He shakes his head, deprecating all rashness. There is another pause. farrant, getting up to pace about, breaks it.
farrant. Look here, Wedgecroft, one thing is worrying me. Had Trebell any foreknowledge of what she did and the risk she was running and could he have stopped it?
wedgecroft. [Almost ill-temperedly.] How could he have stopped it?
farrant. Because . . well, I'm not a casuist . . but I know by instinct when I'm up against the wrong thing to do; and if he can't be cleared on that point I won't lift a finger to save him.
horsham. [With nice judgment.] In using the term Any Foreknowledge, Farrant, you may be more severe on him than you wish to be.
farrant, unappreciative, continues.
farrant. Otherwise . . well, we must admit, Cantelupe, that if it hadn't been for the particular consequence of this it wouldn't be anything to be so mightily shocked about.