(rushing forward in painful alarm, and anxiety). It's maw
lawbrary, gavner. Down't burn em.

KEARNEY. You'll be better without that sort of reading, my man.

DRINKWATER (in intense distress, appealing to Lady Cicely) Down't let
em burn em, Lidy. They dasn't if you horder them not to. (With desperate
eloquence) Yer dunno wot them books is to me. They took me aht of the
sawdid reeyellities of the Worterleoo Rowd. They formed maw mawnd: they
shaowed me sathink awgher than the squalor of a corster's lawf--

REDBROOK (collaring him). Oh shut up, you fool. Get out. Hold your ton--

DRINKWATER (frantically breaking from him). Lidy, lidy: sy a word for
me. Ev a feelin awt. (His tears choke him: he clasps his hands in dumb
entreaty.)

LADY CICELY (touched). Don't burn his books. Captain. Let me give them
back to him.

KEARNEY. The books will be handed over to the lady.

DRINKWATER (in a small voice). Thenkyer, Lidy. (He retires among his
comrades, snivelling subduedly.)

REDBROOK (aside to him as he passes). You silly ass, you. (Drinkwater
sniffs and does not reply.)

KEARNEY. I suppose you and your men accept this lady's account of what
passed, Captain Brassbound.

BRASSBOUND (gloomily). Yes. It is true--as far as it goes.

KEARNEY (impatiently). Do you wawnt it to go any further?

MARZO. She leave out something. Arab shoot me. She nurse me. She cure
me.

KEARNEY. And who are you, pray?

MARZO (seized with a sanctimonious desire to demonstrate his higher
nature). Only dam thief. Dam liar. Dam rascal. She no lady.

JOHNSON (revolted by the seeming insult to the English peerage from a
low Italian). What? What's that you say?

MARZO. No lady nurse dam rascal. Only saint. She saint. She get me to
heaven--get us all to heaven. We do what we like now.

LADY CICELY. Indeed you will do nothing of the sort Marzo, unless you
like to behave yourself very nicely indeed. What hour did you say we
were to lunch at, Captain Kearney?

KEARNEY. You recall me to my dooty, Lady Waynflete. My barge will be
ready to take off you and Sir Howard to the Santiago at one o'clawk. (He
rises.) Captain Brassbound: this innquery has elicited no reason why I
should detain you or your men. I advise you to ahct as escort in future
to heathens exclusively. Mr. Rahnkin: I thahnk you in the name of the
United States for the hospitahlity you have extended to us today; and
I invite you to accompany me bahck to my ship with a view to lunch at
h