One afternoon I heard a knock at the door and found it was the milkman.
Mrs. Doncaster [his laundress] was not there, so I took in the milk
myself. The milkman is a very nice man, and, by way of making himself
pleasant, said, rather complainingly, that the weather kept very dry.
I looked at him significantly and said: “Ah, yes, of course for your
business you must find it very inconvenient,” and laughed.
He saw he had been caught and laughed too. It was a very old joke, but
he had not expected it at that particular moment, and on the top of such
an innocent remark.