“Really," said Gregory superciliously, "the examples you choose–""I beg your pardon," said Syme grimly, "I thought we had abolished all conventions.”

“I beg your pardon," I said. "But you do intend to eat me?”

“Where the devil did you get her?""I beg your pardon?""I said: the weather is getting better.""Seems so.""Who's the lassie?""My daughter.""You lie - she's not.""I beg your pardon?""I said: July was hot.”

“Well, you have said that you were quite certain I was not a serious anarchist. Does this place strike you as being serious?""It does seem to have a moral under all its gaiety," assented Syme; "but may I ask you two questions? You need not fear to give me information, because, as you remember, you very wisely extorted from me a promise not to tell the police, a promise I shall certainly keep. So it is in mere curiosity that I make my queries. First of all, what is it really all about? What is it you object to? you want to abolish Government?""To abolish God!" said Gregory, opening the eyes of a fanatic. "We do not only want to upset a few despotisms and police regulations; that sort of anarchism does exist, but it is a mere branch of the Nonconformists. We dig deeper and we blow you higher. We wish to deny all those arbitrary distinctions of vice and virtue, honour and treachery, upon which mere rebels base themselves. The silly sentimentalists of the French Revolution talked of the Rights of Man! We hate Rights and we hate Wrongs. We have abolished Right and Wrong.""And Right and Left," said Syme with a simple eagerness. "I hope you will abolish them too. They are much more troublesome to me.”

“The silly sentimentalists of the French Revolution talked of the Rights of Man! We hate Rights as we hate Wrongs. We have abolished Right and Wrong.And Right and Left, said Syme with a simple eagerness, I hope you will abolish them too. They are much more troublesome to me.”

“You behold in me, Stephen said with grim displeasure, a horrible example of free thought.”