"Who went? I thought you were dining with the Rabbiches."
"Not the Rabbiches, a Rabbich, and an insufferable bounder at that; but he gave us a jolly good dinner, champagne flowed."
"And you got drunk? Oh, Grantly!"
"Well, no; I shouldn't describe it thus crudely—like the Irishman, I prefer to say 'having drink taken.'"
"Well, 'having drink taken'—then?"
"After we were chucked out for interrupting (it was a rag) we went back to the Moonstone."
"To the Moonstone," Mary repeated; "why there?"
"Because we dined there, my dear. Young Rabbich gave the feast; it was all arranged beforehand. We meant to spoil that meeting, but we began too soon, and they were too strong for us, and . . . he's an ass, and shouted out all sorts of things he shouldn't—we deserved what we got."
"And then?"
"I'm not very clear what happened then, except that there was the most tremendous shindy in the street, and fur was flying like anything, and the next I know was two bobbies had got me, and your friend Gallup squared them and took me home and put me to bed . . . and here I am."