“If you’ve anything to say you must say it decently,’’ said Carson.
“Decently? I will. Now look here. When we went into Bideford we met this ornament of the Sixth—is that decent enough?—hanging about on the road with a nasty look in his eye. We didn’t know then why he was so anxious to stop us, but at five minutes to four, when we were in Yeo’s shop, we saw Tulke in broad daylight, with his house-cap on, kissin’ an’ huggin’ a woman on the pavement. Is that decent enough for you?”
“I didn’t—I wasn’t.”
“We saw you!” said Beetle. “And now—I’ll be decent, Carson—you sneak back with her kisses” (not for nothing had Beetle perused the later poets) “hot on your lips and call prefects’ meetings, which aren’t prefects’ meetings, to uphold the honor of the Sixth.” A new and heaven-cleft path opened before him that instant. “And how do we know,” he shouted—“how do we know how many of the Sixth are mixed up in this abominable affair?”
“Yes, that’s what we want to know,” said McTurk, with simple dignity.
“We meant to come to you about it quietly, Carson, but you would have the meeting,” said Stalky sympathetically.
The Sixth were too taken aback to reply. So, carefully modelling his rhetoric on King, Beetle followed up the attack, surpassing and surprising himself, “It—it isn’t so much the cynical immorality of the biznai, as the blatant indecency of it, that’s so awful. As far as we can see, it’s impossible for us to go into Bideford without runnin’ up against some prefect’s unwholesome amours. There’s nothing to snigger over, Naughten. I don’t pretend to know much about these things—but it seems to me a chap must be pretty far dead in sin” (that was a quotation from the school chaplain) “when he takes to embracing his paramours” (that was Hakluyt) “before all the city” (a reminiscence of Milton). “He might at least have the decency—you’re authorities on decency, I believe—to wait till dark. But he didn’t. You didn’t! Oh, Tulke. You—you incontinent little animal!”
“Here, shut up a minute. What’s all this about, Tulke?” said Carson.
“I—look here. I’m awfully sorry. I never thought Beetle would take this line.”
“Because—you’ve—no decency—you—thought—I hadn’t,” cried Beetle all in one breath.