Jones hunched himself together, and squirmed a sad little squirm.
"Mr. Westoby," he said, "I once made use of a very strong
expression in regard to you. I said, if you remember, that I'd
be obliged if you'd keep your paws--"
"Don't apologize," I interrupted. "I forgot it long ago."
"You've taken me up wrong," he continued drearily. "I should like
you to consider the remark repeated now. Yes, sir, repeated."
"Oh, bosh!" I exclaimed.
"You have a very tough epidermis," he went on. "Quite the
toughest epidermis I have met with in my whole professional
career. A paper adequately treating your epidermis would make a
sensation before any medical society."
Somehow I couldn't feel properly insulted. The whole business
struck me as irresistibly comical. I lay back in my chair--my
uninvited chair--and roared with laughter.