"No, sir, I did not," replied Gall, slightly rising in his place to answer.
"Did you, Loftus major?"
The exceeding satire of the question, as addressed to him, the wronged owner of the abstracted weapon, nearly struck Loftus major dumb.
"Of course I did not, sir," he said, after a pause.
"Did you go out of college after prayers?"
"No."
"Trace, did you go out of college after prayers, and fire off this pistol?"
"No, sir." And Trace's usual civility of tone was marked by a dash of remonstrance at being asked. Suspect him, Mr. Trace, the model fellow of the school! What next?
"Irby, did you?"
"I, sir! No, sir. It wasn't me, sir."