"Somebody you—we both know—I mean to say——"

"You mean, will I sit here and compare notes with you to find out whether we both know Tom, Dick, and Harry? No, I will not."

"I mean—so that—if you don't mind—somebody can vouch for me——"

"No," she said, decisively.

"I mean—I would be so grateful—and I admire you tremendously——"

"Please do not say that."

"No—I won't, of course; I don't admire anybody very much, and I didn't dream of being offensive—only—I—now that I've known you——"

"You don't know me," she observed, icily.

"No, of course, I don't know you at all; I'm only talking to you——"

"A nice comment upon us both," she observed; "could anything be more pitifully common?"