"Who said I ever said so, sir?" Phil asked confidently.
"You told Dr. Harrison, for one," said Mr. Linden.
"I never spoke a word to Dr. Harrison—" Phil began and checked himself. "I never said anything but the truth, sir!"
"What truth did you say to him?" said Mr. Linden. "I wish you would do the same for me. The roughest truth, Phil, is pleasanter to ray ears than the smoothest falsehood."
"I said nothin' but what was truth, sir," said Phil, perplexedly, as if he felt caught in a snare. "I didn't think you meant that."
"That is precisely what I meant."
"'Twarn't nothing but the truth, sir."
"Well—" said Mr. Linden,—"I never was afraid of the truth yet, and I don't mean to begin now. You didn't say I had cut your ears off, did you Phil?"
"I didn't say nothin' about you, sir, good or indifferent."
"That's something," said Mr. Linden with unmoved gravity. "What else did you say?"