"Could you additionally honor me by choosing somebody else?
It's not in my line." Fifty years ago such an answer as this, addressed to a lady, would have been considered inexcusably impertinent.

The social code of the present time hailed it as something frankly amusing.

The company laughed.
Blanche lost her temper.
"Can't we interest you in any thing but severe muscular exertion, Mr.Delamayn ?" she asked, sharply.

"Must you always be pulling in a boat-race, or flying over a high jump?
If you had a mind, you would want to relax it.

You have got muscles instead.