Derby was almost taken aback by Hopkins' bold behavior. A golden brow lifted up above the edge of his sunglasses. Hopkins was an animal, through and through, and nothing would ever change that. In a way it was amusing... foolishly reliable. Jimmy could always be counted on to do the basest thing imaginable. His bragging, in fact, the way he tossed his ice cream as if he expected a manservant to toddle over and scoop it up for him (only Harringtons could toss their toys on the floor and have them picked up immediately)... it was all so very funny. It was all Derby could do not to laugh again.
A sharp elbow hit Tad in the arm. "Do you hear that, Spencer? Young James is an investor now. You do realize that patronizing the Come Hither shop on a regular basis doesn't count as an investment, don't you?" Here he did laugh again, shaking his head as if reveling in his own verbal majesty.
Then the second half of Hopkins' statement came. Derby suddenly had an Idea. He leaned in close to Tad's ear and murmured to him conspiratorially.
"Do you hear that, Spencer? Hopkins is such a serpent. He's being rude about your mother again. That won't do at all, will it? Really, will he ever learn? I think that someone should give him a little bath in the bay to clean his attitude up."
Derby smiled reassuringly at Tad, so close that his associate could no doubt smell the sweet hints of carefully-applied fragrance lifting from his throat. His eyes indicated the railing.