"At times."
"How?"
"I mean that he is as often sad as merry; and more frequently earnest and serious than careless."
"Is it possible, Ernest?"
"I think I am right."
"Sir Asinus—as I have heard him called—a serious man?"
"Yes, and a very profound one."
"You surprise me!"
"Well, I think that some day he will surprise the world: he is a most profound thinker, and has that dangerous trait for opponents, a clearness of perception which cuts through the rind of a subject, and eviscerates the real core of it with extraordinary ease. You know——"
"Now you are going to talk politics," said Hoffland, laughing.