“You think I am the devil—eh?”
“You flatter yourself. A monarch to condescend to the practical executive! I take you for one of his imps.”
“Well, sir—I don’t despair of you. I gave the waterman a douceur, and slipped in as you pushed off.”
“So, you are not the devil?”
“No; only one of his imps—an attorney.”
“Then I am lost indeed.”
“H’m!—May I have a little bout at reasoning with you—before you—eh?”
“Before I—eh?—just so, my friend. Now, balance the pros and cons, I pray. Here am I, going to damnation, and thinking myself equipped with all decent loneliness for the journey. I turn my head, and find——”
“Counsel, waiting to argue the case for you. Congratulate yourself. Heaven is——”
“No, no. State your case, without blasphemy.”