Загублений світ
He is a Perfectly Impossible Person
"Dearme!Thatstrengthensmypositionverymuch,doesitnot?Yourageandappearancemakeyoursupportdoublyvaluable.Well,atleastyouarebetterthanthatherdofswineinVienna,whosegregariousgruntis,however,notmoreoffensivethantheisolatedeffortoftheBritishhog."Heglaredatmeasthepresentrepresentativeofthebeast.
"Theyseemtohavebehavedabominably,"saidI.
"IassureyouthatIcanfightmyownbattles,andthatIhavenopossibleneedofyoursympathy.Putmealone,sir,andwithmybacktothewall.G.E.C.ishappiestthen.Well,sir,letusdowhatwecantocurtailthisvisit,whichcanhardlybeagreeabletoyou,andisinexpressiblyirksometome.Youhad,asIhavebeenledtobelieve,somecommentstomakeuponthepropositionwhichIadvancedinmythesis."Therewasabrutaldirectnessabouthismethodswhichmadeevasiondifficult.Imuststillmakeplayandwaitforabetteropening.Ithadseemedsimpleenoughatadistance.Oh,myIrishwits,couldtheynothelpmenow,whenIneededhelpsosorely?Hetransfixedmewithtwosharp,steelyeyes."Come,come!"herumbled.
"Iam,ofcourse,amerestudent,"saidI,withafatuoussmile,"hardlymore,Imightsay,thananearnestinquirer.Atthesametime,itseemedtomethatyouwerealittlesevereuponWeissmanninthismatter.Hasnotthegeneralevidencesincethatdatetendedto—well,tostrengthenhisposition?"
"Whatevidence?"Hespokewithamenacingcalm.
"Well,ofcourse,IamawarethatthereisnotanywhatyoumightcallDEFINITEevidence.Ialludedmerelytothetrendofmodernthoughtandthegeneralscientificpointofview,ifImightsoexpressit."
