“Well," she said, "if I were the enemy commander, and our assault had failed three times, and I wanted to make a fourth, I don't think I'd attack with fewer men. But that's just me.""Shut up, Loiosh.""I beg your pardon?""Never mind. Private joke.”

“But I wasn't happy... when I heard you two had assaulted Castle Macindaw with just thirty men,' [said Halt].'Thirty-three,' mumbled Horace...The Ranger gave him a withering look. 'Oh, pardon me... three more men does make a lot of difference.”

“I beg your pardon," I said. "But you do intend to eat me?”

“Where the devil did you get her?""I beg your pardon?""I said: the weather is getting better.""Seems so.""Who's the lassie?""My daughter.""You lie - she's not.""I beg your pardon?""I said: July was hot.”

“Keep your shirt on," she said with a laugh at her bad joke. "Your clothes are at the laundry. They'lldeliver them as soon as they're ready.""And in the meantime?""Looks like you're naked."His jaw worked as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "I beg your pardon?""Beg all you want, you're still going to be naked." Tabitha paused at the wicked image in her mind."Come to think of it, a gorgeous, begging, naked man… that's the stuff of fantasies. Begging won't getyou your clothes, but it could get you something else." She wiggled her eyebrows at him.”

“Emma says after I was born I cried for days. She said I'd never shut up which is funny really because Dad says I never shut up now so maybe that's what happens, you get born and act the same your whole life.”