"What?

"WHO TOLD PEOPLE YOU'D A FALSE FRONT TOOTH?

"And is that all? Well, I'm sure--as if the world couldn't see it.
I know I did just mention it once, but then I thought everybody knew
it--besides, I was aggravated to do it; yes, aggravated. I remember
it was that very day, at Mrs. Badgerly's, when husbands' whiskers
came up. Well, after we'd done with them, somebody said something
about teeth. Whereupon, Miss Prettyman--a minx! she was born to
destroy the peace of families, I know she was: she was there; and if
I'd only known that such a creature was--no I'm not rambling, not at
all, and I'm coming to the tooth. To be sure, this is a great deal
you've got against me, isn't it? Well, somebody spoke about teeth,
when Miss Prettyman, with one of her insulting leers, said 'she
thought Mr. Caudle had the whitest teeth she ever HAD beheld.' Of
course my blood was up--every wife's would be: and I believe I might
have said, 'Yes, they were well enough; but when a young lady so very
much praised a married man's teeth, she perhaps didn't know that one
of the front ones was an elephant's.' Like her impudence!--I set HER
down for the rest of the evening. But I can see the humour you're in
to-night. You only came to bed to quarrel, and I'm not going to
indulge you. All I say is this, after the shameful mischief you've
made at the Badgerlys', you never break my confidence again. Never--
and now you know it."


Caudle hereupon writes--"And here she seemed inclined to sleep. Not
for one moment did I think to prevent her."