This is not a Story

by Denis Diderot

—And what is mine?

—That of being asked to do the thing you are dying to do. Well, my friend, I ask you, I pray you satisfy yourself.

—Satisfy myself?

—Begin, by God, begin.

—I will try to be short.

—That cannot hurt.

Here, a little out of spite, I coughed, I spat, I drew my handkerchief out slowly, I blew my nose, I opened my snuff box, I took out a pinch of snuff; and I heard my fellow man say between his teeth: `If the telling is short, the preliminaries are long…´ I had the urge to call a servant under the pretext of some errand. But I did not, and I said:

* * * * *

It must be admitted that there are very good men, and very bad women.

—One sees that every day, and sometimes without leaving the house. Go on?