"And, without seeming too inquisitive, monsieur, may I ask what was the object of the discussion?"
"He would have it that le Pastissier françois was printed in 1654, and contained only four preliminary leaves; whilst I maintained, and with reason, as you see, that it was printed in 1655 and that it had five preliminary leaves and a frontispiece. Now here is the very date, 1655; here are the five preliminary leaves; here is the very frontispiece."
"Upon my word, so it is."
"Ah! ah! how sheepish, how utterly foolish my friend Bérard will look now!"
"But, monsieur," I suggested timidly, "did you not tell me that you had argued over this little volume for the past three years?"
"Yes, indeed, for more than three years."
"Well, it seems to me that if the discussion no longer amused you, you had a very simple remedy at hand to stop it."
"What?"
"Does not one of the ancient philosophers prove the incontestability of movement to another philosopher who denies movement, by walking before him?"