The Duke stepped forward to greet them.
"Do stop crying, papa.

You're as hoarse as a crow as it is," said Germaine impatiently.

Then, turning on the Duke with a frown, she said: "I think that joke of yours about the train was simply disgraceful, Jacques.

A joke's a joke, but to send us out to the station on a night like last night, through all that heavy rain, when you knew all the time that there was no quarter-to-nine train--it was simply disgraceful." "I really don't know what you're talking about," said the Duke quietly.
"Wasn't there a quarter-to-nine train ?" "Of course there wasn't," said Germaine.

"The time-table was years old.
I think it was the most senseless attempt at a joke I ever heard of." "It doesn't seem to me to be a joke at all," said the Duke quietly.