midday
But tell me how you prove your assertion ? '' `` Why , just so , my lord ; because you repudiate it upon the same principle that might induce a beautiful woman , well aware of her charms , to say to one of her most enthusiastic admirers , ` I know perfectly well how handsome I am , and therefore your approval is perfectly uncalled for and unnecessary . What is the use of reiterating what everybody knows ? Is it usual to proclaim in the open streets that the sun shines , when all may see and feel certain of his midday brightness ? ' '' `` Now , baron , you are shifting your ground , and becoming more dangerous as you become more adroit ; and , by way of varying your punishment , I will only say that the infernal Polidori himself could not have more ingeniously disguised the poisonous draught of flattery , when seeking to persuade some poor victim to swallow it . '' `` My lord , I am now effectually silenced . '' `` Then , '' said Murphy -LRB- and this time with an air of real seriousness -RRB- , `` your royal highness has now no doubt as to its being really Polidori you encountered in the Rue du Temple ? ''