"I confess my sins!" "You must clear yourself completely, sir, before you can hope to obtain absolution for your sins of omission," insisted Mrs Gilmour, pretending to be very stern indeed.

"Now, prisoner at the bar, answer truly, have you or have you not got a yacht ?" "I have," he replied solemnly, entering into her humour.

"By Jove, I have, ma'am!" "Well, I'm glad to hear that at all events," retorted his questioner in rather an injudicial way.

"Sure, I didn't think you had one at all, not having seen it after all your talking about it.

What sort of a yacht is it, now ?" "Only a half-decked little cutter of about two or three tons," answered the Captain abjectly, trying to minimise his offence.