"I knew you'd come!" he said.
"But I won't," I said.
He smiled tenderly upon me.
"And yet," he said, "I endured that dragon Mrs. Vivian for your sake for full ten minutes."
"If you'll explain what it's all about," I said, "I'll do anything I can to help you, but as to—"
He tapped me on the knee with the poker.
"Listen!" he said. "In my opinion, my cousin, Mrs. O'Callaghan, is mad."
"I'm not surprised to hear it," I said.
He tapped me again with the poker.
"My cousin, Mrs. O'Callaghan, has a daughter, and in any decent man's home," he added, "there'd be something to drink Norah's health in."