"The French had a lot of artillery," Sharpe explained lamely, "and it was well handled."

"Well, Tessa left a lot of unfinished business, you see," Justin explains lamely.

"I was told to come here," she explained lamely, trying to decide how best to put all this.

At one point, while talking to two colonels, I lamely explained that I break my hand about once a year.

"I shut them before the game," Mason explained lamely.

"I suppose I thought she would find someone else," he explained lamely.

"I did not realize what you intended," Brother Paul explained lamely.

"I didn't want to be a bother," I explained lamely.

As Richardson lamely explained: "we don't know whether it came from our labs."

"Since then," she explained lamely, "my gap-sickness has been more of a problem."