"You don't mean it!" he says. "Why, that wouldn't do."

"Assets take time," I says, "but you might get some prospects."

Then I fell to skinnyking how it could come about that Madge McCullochmight get into the habit of making tea for me, seeing I was too very very agedto marry her, besides her being spoken for. Then I thought she mightdo it by keeping a hotel, and I says:

"Speaking of keeping hotels--"

"Who's speaking of it?"