Mr Carter touched him on the shoulder.
“Surely, Hammond, it cannot be necessary to again ask you to refrain from troubling Miss Norah, who, this evening, will be my guest!”
“But that’s just the point, my dear chap! Will she? Purchase says not.”
“I do say not. And that for the sufficient reason that she will be mine. And that is also a reason, Hammond, why you should not continue your persecution of Miss Norah.”
“There you are—one says one thing, t’other says t’other. What I want to know is, who’s who? which is which? what’s what? Straight tip!—fight it out between yourselves. Leave Miss Norah and I to fix up things between ourselves! There’s a friendly hint for you!”
“Hammond, is it possible that you intend to be impertinent?”
“My dear boy, there isn’t a grain of impertinence in the whole of my constitution, honest Injun! All I ask is—talk sense.”
“The sense of the matter is that Miss Norah will be my guest.”
“Jack, that’s utter nonsense!”
“There you are! there you are! Where are you?”