“Quite so; and now, will you, with equal urbanity, inform me who is Harpar?”
“Who is Harpar? Who is Harpar? You surely do not ask me that?”
“I do; such is my question.”
“I must confess that you surprise me. You ask me for information about yourself!”
“Oh, indeed! So that I am Harpar?”
“You can, of course, deny it We are in a measure prepared for that. The proofs of your identity will be, however, forthcoming; not to add that it will be difficult to disprove the offence.”
“Ha, the offence! I 'm really curious about that. What is the offence with which I am charged?”
“What I have been reading these two hours. What I have recited with all the clearness, brevity, and perspicuity that characterize our imperial and royal legislation, making our code at once the envy and admiration of all Europe.”
“I 'm sure of that But what have I done?”
“With what for a dulness-charged and much-beclouded intellect are you afflicted,” cried he, “not to have followed the greatly-by- circumstances-corroborated, and in-various-ways-by-proofs-brought-home narrative that I have already read out.”