Andindeedonthinkingitoveritwouldhavebeenplausibleenoughiftherehadn’tbeenalwaystheessentialfalsenessofirresponsibilityinSchom—
berg’schatter。However，Iwasnotdisposedtoin—
vestigatethepsychologyofFalk。IwasengagedjustthenineatingdespondentlyapieceofstaleDutchcheese，beingtoomuchcrushedtocarewhatIswallowedmyself，letalongbotheringmyheadaboutFalk’sideasofgastronomy。Icouldexpectfromtheirstudynocluetohisconductinmattersofbusiness，whichseemedtometotallyunrestrainedbymoralityorevenbythecommonestsortofde—
cency。HowinsignificantandcontemptibleImustappear，forthefellowtodaretreatmelikethis——I
reflectedsuddenly，writhinginsilentagony。AndIconsignedFalkandallhispeculiaritiestothedevilwithsomuchmentalfervourastoforgetSchom—