ke. Itll throw his
board and lodging on our rates and taxes for a couple of years, and then
turn him loose on us a more dangerous blackguard than ever. Itll put the
girl in prison and ruin her: Itll lay his wife's life waste. You may put
the criminal law out of your head once for all: it's only fit for fools
and savages.

LOUIS. Would you mind turning your face a little more this way, Sir
Patrick. [Sir Patrick turns indignantly and glares at him]. Oh, thats
too much.

SIR PATRICK. Put down your foolish pencil, man; and think of your
position. You can defy the laws made by men; but there are other laws to
reckon with. Do you know that youre going to die?

LOUIS. We're all going to die, arnt we?

WALPOLE. We're not all going to die in six months.

LOUIS. How do you know?

This for B. B. is the last straw. He completely loses his temper and
begins to walk excitedly about.

B. B. Upon my soul, I will not stand this. It is in questionable taste
under any circumstances or in any company to harp on the subject
of death; but it is a dastardly advantage to take of a medical man.
[Thundering at Dubedat] I will not allow it, do you hear?

LOUIS. Well, I didn't begin it: you chaps did. It's always the way with
the inartistic professions: when theyre beaten in argument they fall
back on intimidation. I never knew a lawyer who didnt threaten to put me
in prison sooner or later. I never knew a parson who didnt threaten me
with damnation. And now you threaten me with death. With all your talk
youve only one real trump in your hand, and thats Intimidation. Well,
I'm not a coward; so it's no use with me.

B. B. [advancing upon him] I'll tell you what you are, sir. Youre a
scoundrel.

LOUIS. Oh, I don't mind you calling me a scoundrel a bit. It's only a
word: a word that you dont know the meaning of. What is a scoundrel?

B. B. You are a scoundrel, sir.

LOUIS. Just so. What is a scoundrel? I am. What am I? A Scoundrel. It's
just arguing in a circle. And you imagine youre a man of science!

B. B. I--I--I--I have a good mind to take you by the scruff of your
neck, you infamous rascal, and give you a sound thrashing.

LOUIS. I wish you would. Youd pay me something handsome to keep it
out of court afterwards. [B. B., baffled, flings away from him with a
snort]. Have you any more civilities to address to me in my own house? I
should like to get them over before my wife comes back. [He resumes his
sketching].

RIDGEON. My m