"You should know me well enough, Cassis, to realise that when I lose time I lose it purposely. I am waiting for Cranbourne."
"Cranbourne's ideas are altogether too fantastic."
"We agreed to do nothing until eleven o'clock and it wants ten minutes to the hour."
"Not a very substantial margin to find Barraclough's double."
"It is as easy to find a man in ten minutes as in ten years—a mere matter of chance. For my own part I always favoured indifferent odds."
"By Jove, sir," exclaimed Barraclough, "you're my man. Damn the opposition. Damn the odds. We'll do it, what."
A measure of his enthusiasm infected the old man.
"We'll have a damn good try anyway."
"And if it comes to a rough and tumble——"
"Hit first and hit hardest."