comma after 'why' [interjection]: "Why you, of course," I told him.

[Rabelaisian]

"What do you want?" he asked suspiciously.
"Why you, of course," I told him.

"Why" is an interjection there and normally I would definitely put a comma after it, but in this case I don't feel the pause in the dialogue, so can it be omitted?

Thanks.

 

[owlman5]

I think you should keep that comma, Rabelaisian, whether you feel the pause or not. If you omitted the comma, some readers would be puzzled. I would be puzzled.