There came a tap at the door, and to his call a servant entered with a glass of milk and whiskey, with which he always began the day.
The taste of the liquid brought back the afternoon of the day before, and he suddenly stopped drinking, threw back his head, and laughed softly.
"By Jingo, but that liqueur was stunning--and so was-Sophie...

Sophie! That sounds compromisingly familiar this morning, and very improper also! But Sophie is a very nice person, and I ought to be well ashamed of myself.

I needed the bit and curb both yesterday.

It'll never do at all.

If I'm going to marry Christine, we must have no family complications.