"Kon hai?"[47] he called. "Under ao."[48]
[47] Who's there. [48] Come in.
The door opened and large Mr. Dearman walked in. He bore a nasty-looking malacca cane in his hand—somewhat ostentatiously.
"Hullo, Dearman!" said Augustus after a decidedly startled and anxious look. "What is it? Sit down. I'm just back from College. Have a drink?"
Large Mr. Dearman considered these things seriatim.
"I will sit down as I want a talk with you. You are a liar in the matter of just being back from College. I will not have a drink." He then lapsed into silence and looked at Augustus very straight and very queerly, while bending the nasty malacca suggestively. The knees of Augustus smote together.
Good God! It had come at last! The thrashing he had so often earned was at hand. What should he do? What should he do!
Dearman thought the young man was about to faint.
"Fine malacca that, isn't it?" he asked.
"Ye-yes!"