The last words of The Croquet Player

I looked him in the face, firmly but politely. I said, "I don't care. The world may be going to pieces. The Stone Age may be returning. This may, as you say, be the sunset of civilization. I'm sorry, but I can't help it this morning. I have other engagements. All the same--laws of the Medes and Persians--I am going to play croquet with my aunt at half-past twelve today."

The Croquet Player by H. G. Wells
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