“Oh, pretty well all right now. But it’s been the most confounded nuisance having to do everything with the left hand. I’m no good whatever with it.”
“Every child should be brought up to be ambidexterous,” said Sir Oswald.
“Oh!” said Socks, somewhat out of her depth. “Is that like seals?”
“Not amphibious,” said Mr. Bateman. “Ambidexterous means using either hand equally well.”
“Oh!” said Socks, looking at Sir Oswald with respect. “Can you?”
“Certainly, I can write with either hand.”
“But not with both at once?”
“That would not be practical,” said Sir Oswald shortly.
“No,” said Socks thoughtfully. “I suppose that would be a bit too subtle.”
“It would be a grand thing now in a Government department,” observed Mr. O’Rourke, “if one could keep the right hand from knowing what the left hand was doing.”
“Can you use both hands?”
“No, indeed. I’m the most right-handed person that ever was.”
“But you deal cards with your left hand,” said the observant Bateman. “I noticed the other night.”
“Oh, but that’s different entirely,” said Mr. O’Rourke easily.