“No, no-no, no-you state it plain enough, but that cocktail has muddled me a little.  But I will no, I do understand for that matter; but I would get the hang of it all the better if you went over it again-and I’ll pay better attention this time.”

He said; “Why, what I was after was this.”

[Here he became even more fearfully impressive than ever, and emphasized each particular point by checking it off on his finger-ends.]

“This vein, or lode, or ledge, or whatever you call it, runs along between two layers of granite, just the same as if it were a sandwich.  Very well.  Now suppose you go down on that, say a thousand feet, or maybe twelve hundred (it don’t really matter) before you drift, and then you start your drifts, some of them across the ledge, and others along the length of it, where the sulphurets—­I believe they call them sulphurets, though why they should, considering that, so far as I can see, the main dependence of a miner does not so lie, as some suppose, but in which it cannot be successfully maintained, wherein the same should not continue, while part and parcel of the same ore not committed to either in the sense referred to, whereas, under different circumstances, the most inexperienced among us could not detect it if it were, or might overlook it if it did, or scorn the very idea of such a thing, even though it were palpably demonstrated as such.  Am I not right?”

I said, sorrowfully:  “I feel ashamed of myself, Mr. Ward.  I know I ought to understand you perfectly well, but you see that treacherous whisky cocktail has got into my head, and now I cannot understand even the simplest proposition.  I told you how it would be.”

“Oh, don’t mind it, don’t mind it; the fault was my own, no doubt—­though I did think it clear enough for—­”

“Don’t say a word.  Clear!  Why, you stated it as clear as the sun to anybody but an abject idiot; but it’s that confounded cocktail that has played the mischief.”

“No; now don’t say that.  I’ll begin it all over again, and—­”

“Don’t now—­for goodness’ sake, don’t do anything of the kind, because I tell you my head is in such a condition that I don’t believe I could understand the most trifling question a man could ask me.

“Now don’t you be afraid.  I’ll put it so plain this time that you can’t help but get the hang of it.  We will begin at the very beginning.” [Leaning far across the table, with determined impressiveness wrought upon his every feature, and fingers prepared to keep tally of each point enumerated; and I, leaning forward with painful interest, resolved to comprehend or perish.] “You know the vein, the ledge, the thing that contains the metal, whereby it constitutes the medium between all other forces, whether of present or remote agencies, so brought to bear in favor of the former against the latter, or the latter against the former or all, or both, or compromising the relative differences existing within the radius whence culminate the several degrees of similarity to which—­”