“No one does say so but Lamson! And what he says is piffle. And you can tell him I said so, if you like!”
“It wouldn’t bother him a bit,” answered Arnold angrily. “But if you can’t speak decently of folks you’d better keep your mouth shut, Toby. Frank’s a friend of mine, and a friend of yours, too, and—”
Toby laughed loudly. “A friend of mine, is he? That’s a good one!”
“He certainly is! Has he ever done anything that wasn’t friendly?”
“Has he ever done anything that was?”
“Lots!”
“Piffle!”
“Oh, all right. Have it your way, Mr. Smart Aleck! Frank—”
“You ask Frank Lamson if he was a friend of mine last Friday night,” challenged Toby hotly. “If I had half a dozen friends like him I’d be—be in the poor house!”
“What do you mean by that? What did Frank do? Go on and tell me now! You’ve hinted. Out with it.”