been down hitherto, I am rather tired of
living next an empty house."

"Our nearest neighbor!" cry I, with animation, opening my eyes. "Not
_really?_ Well, I am rather glad! Only yesterday I was asking Sir Roger
whether there were many young people about. And _how_ near are you?
_Very_ near?"

"About as near as I well can be," answers he, dryly. "My lodge exactly
faces yours."

"Too close," say I, shaking my head. "We shall quarrel."

"And do you mean to say," in a tone of attempted  that but
badly disguises a good deal of  , "that you never heard my
name before?"

Again I shake my head.

"Never! and, what is more, I do not think I know what it is now: I
suppose I did not listen very attentively, but I do not think I caught
it."

"And your tone says" (with a very considerable accession of wordnetanger)
"that you are supremely indifferent as to whether you _ever_ catch it."

I laugh.

"_Catch_ it! you talk as if it were a _disease_. Well" (speaking
demurely), "perhaps on the whole it _would_ be