I apologized for a lunatic habit of speech and paraphrased my question.
"In a word," cried Dale, coming in on my heels with an elucidation of my periphrasis, "what de Gex is driving at is--Do you prefer respectability to ramping round ?" She turned slowly to him.

"My dear boy, when do you think I was not respectable ?" He jumped from the sofa as if the Chow dog had bitten him.
"Good Heavens, I never meant you to take it that way!" She laughed, stretched up a lazy arm to him, and looked at him somewhat quizzically in the face as he kissed her finger-tips.

Although I could have boxed the silly fellow's ears, I vow he did it in a very pretty fashion.

The young man of the day, as a general rule, has no more notion how to kiss a woman's hand than how to take snuff or dance a pavane.
Indeed, lots of them don't know how to kiss a girl at all.
"My dear," she said.

"I was much more respectable sitting on the stage at tea with my horse, Sultan, than supping with you at the Savoy.