“Pray, sir, did I not say over and over again that if I could only induce Jack to stay with us everything would come right? Now, Miles, you know I did!”

“I remember ye said something like it once,” admitted her spouse.

“Once, indeed! I was always sure of it. And I did coax you to stay, did I not, Jack?” she appealed.

“You did,” he agreed. “You assured me that if I was churlish enough to leave, Miles would slowly sicken and pine away!”

She ignored her husband’s ribald appreciation of this.

“Then you see that ’tis all owing to me that⁠—” She broke off to shake O’Hara, and the meeting ended in riotous hilarity.