"'Very,' said Miss Holroyd, with a tinge of irony.
"'Very,' I repeated, heartily.
"'I suppose,' said the professor, nodding mysteriously at his daughter, 'that Dick knows nothing of what we're about down here?'
"'I suppose,' said Miss Holroyd, 'that he thinks we are digging for fossils.'
"I looked at my plate. She might have spared me that.
"'Well, well,' said her father, smiling to himself, 'he shall know everything by morning. You'll be astonished, Dick, my boy.'
"'His name isn't Dick,' corrected Daisy.
"The professor said, 'Isn't it?' in an absent-minded way, and relapsed into contemplation of my necktie.
"I asked Miss Holroyd a few questions about Jack, and was informed that he had given up law and entered the consular service—as what, I did not dare ask, for I know what our consular service is.
"'In China,' said Daisy.