"
"You like to put it that way," said Meldon; "but as a matter of fact it
was I who recognised the sort of man he is. I see now--I saw before I
had been a quarter of an hour in his company--that there is absolutely
no use making any further appeal to his intellect. If I'd known that
he was such a thorough Englishman as he turns out to be, I shouldn't
have wasted my time in trying to reason with him. I should have gone
straight to the only part of him which an Englishman really dislikes
having touched--his stomach."
"Look here, J. J.," said the Major, "I don't mind your scoffing at
Englishmen now and then. I know you don't really mean it, but you
oughtn't to go too far. Remember I'm an Englishman myself by descent,
and I have some feelings. Try not to be offensive. I'm not always
saying nasty things about Irishmen to you."
"No," said Meldon; "your insults are more directly personal. A minute
ago you called me a liar, which is much worse than anything I said
about Englishmen. Besides which it isn't true, whereas what I'm saying
about the English is an absolute fact. Take yourself, for example.
What was it that upset your temper just now in the study? Was it an
overwhelming love for the abstract quality of punctuality? I should
have some respect for you if I thought it was, but I can't think that.
Pages:
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240