“Suppaw! Yaw don’t mean to say it’s so late as that?”
“I do indeed. Supper we call it in this country; though I believe in England it’s the hour at which you dine. It’s after eight o’clock.”
“Ba heavins! This is bad. I wemembaw something that occurred last night. Yaw were with me, were you not?”
“Certainly I was. I gave you my card.”
“Yas—yas. I have it. A fellaw insulted me—a Mr Maynard. If I wemembaw awight, he stwuck me in the face.”
“That’s true; he did.”
“Am I wight too in my wecollection that yaw, sir, were so vewy obliging as to say yaw would act for me as—as—a fwend?”
“Quite right,” replied the willing Lucas, delighted with the prospect of obtaining satisfaction for his own little private wrong, and without danger to himself. “Quite right. I’m ready to do as I said, sir.”
“Thanks, Mr Lucas! a world of thanks! And now there’s no time left faw fawther talking. By Jawve! I’ve slept so long as to be in danger of having committed myself! Shall I wite out the challenge, or would yaw pwefer to do it yawself? Yaw know all that passed, and may word it as yaw wish.”
“There need be no difficulty about the wording of it,” said the chosen second, who, from having acted in like capacity before, was fairly acquainted with the “code.”