'The talk of most people,' I went on, 'is simply—how shall I put it?—simply the ticking of clocks; it marks the hour, but it has no other interest. But I like to think for myself, to be something more than a mere mouthpiece of the age I live in—a mere sounding-board and echo of contemporary chatter.'
'Just listen!' I said as again their raised voices reached our ears.
'It's simply one of the catchwords of the day,' some one was shouting, 'the merest echo of contemporary chatter!'
THE SCAVENGER
'My parlour-maid and cook both gave notice—'
'My stomach is not at all what it should be—'
'Of course the telephone was out of order—'
'The coal they sent was all stones and coal-dust—'