Hilaire Belloc

“ Brassington himself, there!"
"My dear Mr. McAuley," began Kirby again.
"I am telling you the plain truth, and I have witnesses who can go into the box and swear. Not all that wretched, snivelling old fellow can do——"
"An old friend, Mr. McAuley," said Mr. Kirby suavely, "an old friend!"
"Well," compromised Jimmy, "I will say Puritan. Not all that old Puritan's money can get over the plain facts. We can swear to it, both of us. The place and the time. It was the morning after, and it was at Greystones." ”

“ The time isn't up, you see, and you know the absurdity of the thing is that a man can issue a writ like that! Why, bless you, you can go and buy a pair of boots on credit and find the writ waiting for you when you get home! It 's ridiculous, but it 's the law."
Jimmy's face was hot and his eyes were too bright.
"It was not a forgery, Mr. Kirby!" he said.
"Not a what?" said Mr. Kirby, looking up with a fine affectation of confusion. "I 'm not talking about that, Mr. McAuley. Really, poor Brassington's loss is none of our business. ”

“ But if you 're interested, and if you 're going to see young Brassington, you might tell him that his father 's put the whole thing in my hands, and I am going to have details of the cheque and who it was made out to to-morrow by post at my office."
"Mr. Kirby," said Jimmy, in the most agitated of voices, "I solemnly swear to God that that cheque was not forged!" ”