"To-night," continued the professor, who had fortunately been unable to understand this innuendo, "I vill describe a simple scene zat you all know--n'est-ce pas?"
Here he struck an attitude, as if to imply that they must be careful not to miss this bit, and declaimed:--
"Ze postman, 'ow 'e brings ze letters."
This announcement was greeted with a stony silence.
"I tell you ze title," he added in warning tones, "but after now I spik no more Engleesh."
"Quite right; I would n't if I were you," remarked Mr. Duckworth approvingly.
The professor bowed politely at this commendation from such an exalted quarter, and plunged into his subject.
"Le facteur, comment il apporte les lettres!"
The audience, composed exclusively of podgy young men like the secretary, received this exordium with different degrees of self-consciousness, after the manner of the Englishman when a foreign language is spoken in his presence. Some looked extremely knowing, while others stirred uneasily in their seats, and regarded each other with shamefaced grins.
The professor meanwhile had advanced to the window, and was gazing excitedly out into the darkness.