I have--er--' I stopped here, for the words she had uttered in reply, though singularly brief and in tone extremely business-like, were such as to render that arrest of my remarks, I think, natural and excusable.

I have these words also noted down.

I have not the least idea of their meaning; so I have only been able to render them phonetically.

But she said," and Mr Shorter peered short-sightedly at his papers, "she said: 'Chuck it, fat 'ead,' and she added something that sounded like 'It's a kop', or (possibly) 'a kopt'.

And then the last cord, either of my sanity or the sanity of the universe, snapped suddenly.