It will thus be seen that I distinguish between talkers, admitting that some of them are worse than others.

The lowest in the social scale is he who stabs you in the back, as it were, instead of crossing swords.

If one of the gentlemen introduced to you is of that type, he will not be ashamed to say, "Speaking of Emin Pasha, I wonder if Mr.Chamberlain is interested in the relief expedition.
I don't know if I told you that my father----" and there he is, fairly on horseback.

It is seldom of any use to tempt him into other channels.
Better turn to your traveller and let him describe the different routes to Egyptian Equatorial Provinces, with his own views thereon.

Allow him even to draw a map of Africa with a fork on the table-cloth.