"It's all perfectly sweet, I know that, dear." She turned towards the door but not without a dissatisfied look back at the bookcase she had left. "Aren't you going to let me thank you?"
"You needn't. I was only helping Mrs. Downey."
"Oh—"
"She's been having a grand turn-out while you were away."
"The deuce she has—"
"Oh you needn't be frightened. Nobody's touched your precious books but me. I wouldn't let them."
"Why wouldn't you let them?"
"Be-cause—Oh, I say, it's six o'clock; are you going to stay?"
"Perhaps. Why?"
"Because I'd only one more shelf to dust and then I'd 'ave finished. I—I'm in rather a hurry."