“I know! I know! You were more than a son to him!”
“The deuce and all!” thought the Count. “That was a narrow squeak!”
“Do you know,” she continued in the same tone, “I have actually had the audacity to translate one of his books—your preface and all.”
“I understand the allusion now,” thought Bunker.
Aloud he had the presence of mind to inquire—
“Which was it?”
“'Existence Seriously Reviewed.'”
“You couldn't have made a better choice,” he assured her.
“And now, what can you tell me about him?” she cried.
“Suppose we talk about the book instead,” suggested Bunker, choosing what seemed the lesser of two evils.