[ such an implication doesn't occur to him immediately, and he simply goes on gushing about murder. ] Well, you must forgive my saying so, but 2005 was quite the backward time. There are many cases in which guns and atomics are no match for the devilish deadliness concealed within a clear, odorless substance—
[ and then it does occur to him, and he purses his lips— but only for an instant before he starts up again. ] One need not be of the fairer sex to properly appreciate subtlety, and there is, of course, a reason why poison is so delicately employed; a thing overused loses its elegance.