Oh, did you then? Congrats. Wasn't a long wait for all the other candidates to clear off, I hope.

[He'd either heard wrong, or forgotten the information as useless; either way, they both knew it took a number of deaths and dismissals for him to reach any of those positions. James by hearsay, of course.]

Right you are-- I'll try to pay more attention next time your varied career comes up over tea.

[Sarcasm: He's rolling in it.]