"Oh, no, you wouldn't either," he said, hastily trying to retrace.
But the other made a deprecating gesture.

"Oh, yeh needn't mind, Henry," he said.

"I believe I was a pretty big fool in those days." He spoke as after a lapse of years.
There was a little pause.
"All th' officers say we've got th' rebs in a pretty tight box," said the friend, clearing his throat in a commonplace way.

"They all seem t' think we've got 'em jest where we want 'em." "I don't know about that," the youth replied.

"What I seen over on th' right makes me think it was th' other way about.