"Ah!" broke in Dare, "you advise a répétition générale."
"The chief difficulty, sir," continued Walters, "is to get a good grip of your man. May I ask, sir, who it is you intend to horsewhip?"
Dare looked quickly up at Walters. There was no curiosity in his face, he evidently required the information for the purpose of reaching his conclusions.
"Mr. Standish," Dare replied, watching Walters narrowly to see if he showed surprise. Standish and his wife were at that time Dare's most intimate friends, and they were constantly at his flat and Dare at theirs.
Walters did not move a muscle.
"Mr. Standish has a very thick neck, sir," he remarked, "that makes it more difficult."
Dare put down the coffee cup he was just raising to his lips and stared at Walters.
"What on earth has that to do with it?" he exclaimed.
"It is more difficult to get a good grip of a man with a thick neck, sir, than of one with a thin neck. Fortunately I have a thick neck," he added imperturbably.
Walters has always been a great joy to Dare; but there are times when he is also something of a trial. Dare suggested that he should explain himself, which he proceeded to do.