It is a peculiarity of my aunt's--I have met it elsewhere--that if she is angry with Jones, and Jones is not present, she assumes a tone of injured asperity on his account towards Brown or Smith, or any other innocent person whom she happens to be addressing.

"Now, this is really too bad, Hubert," she burst out, as if _I_ were the culprit.

"Disgraceful! Abominable! I'm sure I can't make out what the young fellow means by it.

Here he comes dangling after Daphne every day and all day long--and never once says whether he means anything by it or not.

In MY young days, such conduct as that would not have been considered respectable." I nodded and beamed benignly.
"Well, why don't you answer me ?" my aunt went on, warming up.