"Let it be Pythias, for the present.

But you were about to ask me some question ?" "About old Cheron," I said, leaning both elbows on the table, and speaking very confidentially.

"Now tell me, have you--have you any notion of what he is like?
Do you--know--know anything about him ?" "I have heard of him," he replied, intent for the moment on the pattern of his wine-glass.
"Clever ?" "That is a point upon which I could not venture an opinion.

You must ask some more competent judge." "Come, now," said I, shaking my head, and trying to look knowing; "you--you know what I mean, well enough.

Is he a grim old fellow?
A--a--griffin, you know! Come, is he a gr--r--r--riffin ?" My words had by this time acquired a distressing, self-propelling tendency, and linked themselves into compounds of twenty and thirty syllables.
My _vis-a-vis_ smiled, bit his lip, then laughed a dry, short laugh.
"Really," he said, "I am not in a position to reply to your question; but upon the whole, I should say that Dr.Cheron was not quite a griffin.