“Now, Mr. Burton,” he said after a few minutes; “we will start at the point where we left off; and as there has been a certain amount of unpleasantness between us, I may as well begin by saying that I, for my part, have no desire to be anything but indulgent with you. If you will behave properly and reasonably, I assure you that we shall not treat you with any unnecessary harshness.”
“What do you want me to do?”
Arthur spoke in a hard, sullen voice, quite different from his natural tone.
“I only want you to tell us frankly, in a straightforward and honourable manner, what you know of this society and its adherents. First of all, how long have you known Bolla?”
“I never met him in my life. I know nothing whatever about him.”
“Really? Well, we will return to that subject presently. I think you know a young man named Carlo Bini?”
“I never heard of such a person.”
“That is very extraordinary. What about Francesco Neri?”
“I never heard the name.”
“But here is a letter in your handwriting, addressed to him. Look!”