“If I’d known I would be punished for saving all our lives, I wouldn’t have done it,” she said tragically to Brian as they walked down to the river after dinner. It was thought better for her to make her unwilling exit in the dark, lest hostile watchers, seeing it, should interpret it as a sign of fear.
“Be aisy, then,” returned Brian. “You couldn’t have kept it in.”
“Couldn’t—eh? What are y’after now?”
“You had to give the warning, I tell you. You couldn’t have held your tongue, if it was to save all our lives, and ’twas just the opposite in this case.”
“D’ye tell me I couldn’t hold my tongue if ’twas necessary? A fine brother y’are—to insult your own sister!”
“We’ll consult Ambrose, if you like. Will you say he wouldn’t agree with me?”
“Of course he would. Gentlemen always agree with one another.”
“Well, you wouldn’t have him agree with you, when all his experience went the other way, would you?”
“Wr-r-r-retch!” said Eveleen, with such a terrific rolling of her r’s that Richard turned round and asked if she couldn’t get a few more in. She disdained to reply, and happily at this moment they reached the sandbank to which the Asteroid was moored, and were met at the foot of the gangway by Captain Franks in a high state of pleasurable excitement.
“Welcome on board, ma’am! I have good news for you, sir——” to Colonel Bayard. “There! d’ye hear that?”