“How dare you, sir,” said Mr. Boffin, “tamper, unknown to me, with this young lady? How dare you come out of your station, and your place in my house, to pester this young lady with your impudent addresses?”

“I must decline to answer questions,” said the Secretary, “that are so offensively asked.”

“You decline to answer?” retorted Mr. Boffin. “You decline to answer, do you? Then I’ll tell you what it is, Rokesmith; I’ll answer for you. There are two sides to this matter, and I’ll take ’em separately. The first side is, sheer insolence. That’s the first side.”

The Secretary smiled with some bitterness, as though he would have said, “So I see and hear.”