"--Had never come to this con--"
Rustle--rustle--rustle. Bang in the middle and double up.
"--Come to this confounded place. Hang Madge! She'll get into disgrace
one of these--and--eh--um--oh. Hah! at last! um--um--um. `North-west
provinces. This important question came on last night,' um--um--um."
The old man's irritable voice toned down into a hum like that of a
gigantic bee, for Uncle Paul was safe now to be in peace and good temper
for a couple of hours at least over the debates in his newspaper, and
Mrs Mullion, as unruffled as ever, was already back indoors, thinking
over her half-brother's words, and wondering whether they would ever
prove true.