"Tower law does not allow for excuses," Sareitha put in quickly, in somewhat self-important tones, her normally inquisitive brown eyes stern.

The self-important tone strengthened.

"They are self-repairing," said Manacle in a self-important tone.

"Another 'legation,'" Tusie said, with the self-important tone of being tired of all this nonsense.

"I'm a senior agent with the FBI," he said in a self-important tone he rarely used in the field.

After all, she informs us in that self-important tone so common to those of the feminist Left, we're talking about smart women, powerful women.

"Have you guys ever met anyone like me before," she asked with the self-important tone of a self-appointed Miss Congeniality.

"Still haggling with SEC reform," Julian says in a self-important tone that slaps us all across the face.

"Ours is a highly competitive profession, sir," the undertaker replies in a defensively self-important tone.

The problem was the self-important tone in which he made it.