What can I do for you ?" "Tell me why you have acted this comedy," said I, recollecting at the right moment the gist of my reflections during the past two days.
"Why?
To please myself, good sir; for the sovereign; pleasure of myself." "I would surmise," I retorted tartly, "that it could not have been for the pleasure of anyone else." "Perhaps you mean, because no one else could be base enough to take pleasure in what amuses me ?" I nodded savagely at his question.

"Very good.

Knowing this of me, do you further surmise that I should be so simple as to tell you how I propose to amuse myself in the future ?" I recognised the truth of this, and I saw myself checkmated at the outset.

I therefore smiled, and endeavoured to seem completely satisfied, hoping that his vanity would betray him into some hint of the future.

He seemed to have before taken pleasure in misleading me with a fragment of truth, supposing that I could not make use of it.
I would endeavour to lead him into such a trap again.
"It is a beautiful country, is it not ?" I remarked, going to the window before which he stood, and looking out.