She came there quite
independently of me."
Lord Marshmoreton looked alarmed. "You didn't know her?" he said
anxiously.
"Certainly I knew her. She is an old friend of mine. But if you are
hinting . . ."
"Not at all," rejoined the earl, profoundly relieved. "Not at all.
I ask merely because this young lady, with whom I had some
conversation, was good enough to give me her name and address. She,
too, happened to mistake me for a gardener."
"It's those corduroy trousers," murmured George in extenuation.
"I have unfortunately lost them."
"You can always get another pair."
"Eh?"
"I say you can always get another pair of corduroy trousers."
"I have not lost my trousers. I have lost the young lady's name and
address."
"Oh!"
"I promised to send her some roses. She will be expecting them."
"That's odd. I was just reading a letter from her when you came in.
That must be what she's referring to when she says, 'If you see
dadda, the old dear, tell him not to forget my roses.' I read it
three times and couldn't make any sense out of it. Are you Dadda?"
The earl smirked. "She did address me in the course of our
conversation as dadda.
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