"Be still there," the King said; "do we want to make telephones or do
we not? And sure we can't make telephones without geometry. Hasn't
Terence told you that?"
Terence went on: "Let ABC be any triangle in which the sides AB and AC
are equal."
"How can it be any triangle, when it's only one triangle?" said
another of the men.
"Keep your silly head shut," said the King. "Terence didn't say it was
any triangle; he said let it be. Now will you let that triangle be, or
will I come over there and make you let it be?"
The man said nothing more and Terence went on: "Now, consider this
triangle as two triangles, BAC and CAB."
"How can it be two triangles," another of the men said, "when it's
only one triangle?"
"Will you be still there?" the King said. "Terence doesn't say it's
two triangles; he says you're to consider it. Will you consider that
triangle two triangles, or will I come over there and make you
consider it two triangles?"
"I'll consider it seven triangles, if you like, Your Majesty," the
man answered, "but I dunno what good it'll do me.
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