What I ought to have said, what I would have said if I had realised at the moment that I was talking to you, is this.

We are living the kind of life comparable to that of the people whose cottages are built round the edge of the crater of an active volcano, liable to erupt at any moment; or, to change the metaphor, our position bears a certain resemblance to that of the careless workman who smokes a pipe on the top of a barrel of blasting powder, and if we're not extremely careful we'll find ourselves scattered about in little bits, like the boy who stood on the burning deck.

Have you any fault to find with that way of expressing my thought?
or would you like to have it still further amplified ?" "What I suppose you mean," said the Major, "is that this judge of yours may possibly recognise Miss King as Mrs.Lorimer." "Precisely." "Well, he won't.

So you can make your mind easy about that.

And if he did--" "Have you any reasons to adduce in support of your assertion," said Meldon; "or are you simply contradicting me for the sake of being disagreeable ?" "I have one good reason." "Then trot it out.