'It was.'
'I was kicking about to discourage the mice.'
'I see.'
'Did it hurt much?'
'Only a trifle more than blazes, thank you for inquiring.'
'I'm sorry.'
'So am I.'
'Anyway, it would have given a mouse a nasty jar, if it had been one, wouldn't it?'
'The shock, I should imagine, of a lifetime.'
'Well, I'm sorry.'