She.—Oh, dear! maybe I, too, am guilty of the same offence.
He.—I am sure that you never contradict any one in the way that I mean. It is certainly very embarrassing to make a statement, and then to have it contradicted, even though the matter is of little consequence.
She.—How many rules have we learned so far?
He.—Golden Rule Number I. is: "Avoid unnecessary details." Rule Number II.: "Do not ask question number two until number one has been answered"; do not be too curious nor too disinterested; that is, do not ask too many questions nor too few; just enough. Rule Number III.: Do not interrupt another while he is speaking.
She.—And our new rule, Golden Rule Number IV.: Do not contradict another, especially when the subject under discussion is one of trivial importance.
He.—So, if Mrs. Van Stretcher tells us that Mrs. De Waters has crossed the ocean a dozen times in as many years, we are not to say, "Pardon us, only six, as she goes abroad only once in two years, which makes just—Oh, yes! just twelve times."
She.—Yes, the person who contradicts, frequently restates the matter merely in another way.