"I know what an abscissa is, any how!" cried the Captain. "Can you say as much?"
"Did you ever understand what is meant by a double ordinate?" asked Barbican, trying to keep cool.
"More than you ever did about a transverse and a conjugate!" replied the Captain, with much asperity.
"Any one not convinced at a glance that this eccentricity is equal to unity, must be blind as a bat!" exclaimed Barbican, fast losing his ordinary urbanity.
"Less than unity, you mean! If you want spectacles, here are mine!" shouted the Captain, angrily tearing them off and offering them to his adversary.
"Dear boys!" interposed Ardan—
—"The eccentricity is equal to unity!" cried Barbican.
—"The eccentricity is less than unity!" screamed M'Nicholl.
"Talking of eccentricity—" put in Ardan.
—"Therefore it's a parabola, and must be!" cried Barbican, triumphantly.