"Sir?"
"Do you know what I think?"
"Yes, sir."
"They've bolted."
"So I says to the missus, sir. It struck me right off, in a manner of speaking."
"This is awful," I said.
"Yes, sir."
His face betrayed no emotion, but he was one of those men whose expression never varies. It's a way they have in the army.
"This wants thinking out, Beale," I said.
"Yes, sir."