Spare me any more of this elaborate nonsense and once for all tell me whether you refuse to give me an intelligible account of where I am and how I came here.

If so, I shall proceed to ascertain my whereabouts for myself, whoever may hinder." "You do not, then, believe that this is the year 2000 ?" "Do you really think it necessary to ask me that ?" I returned.
"Very well," replied my extraordinary host.

"Since I cannot convince you, you shall convince yourself.

Are you strong enough to follow me upstairs ?" "I am as strong as I ever was," I replied angrily, "as I may have to prove if this jest is carried much farther." "I beg, sir," was my companion's response, "that you will not allow yourself to be too fully persuaded that you are the victim of a trick, lest the reaction, when you are convinced of the truth of my statements, should be too great." The tone of concern, mingled with commiseration, with which he said this, and the entire absence of any sign of resentment at my hot words, strangely daunted me, and I followed him from the room with an extraordinary mixture of emotions.

He led the way up two flights of stairs and then up a shorter one, which landed us upon a belvedere on the house-top.