Page:Carroll - Euclid and His Modern Rivals.djvu/91

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Sc. II. § 7.]
OMISSION OF DIAGONALS.
53

Euc. That will do. How many words do you make it?

Min. 145.

Euc. Then the omission of the diagonal, instead of shortening the proof, has really lengthened it by seventeen words! Well! Has it any advantage in the way of neatness to atone for its greater length?

Min. Certainly not. It is quite unsymmetrical. I very much prefer your method of appealing to the beautiful Theorem of the equality of complements.

Euc. Then that concludes our present interview: we will meet again when you have reviewed my Modern Rivals one by one. If you had any slow music handy, I would vanish to it: as it is——


(Vanishes without slow music.)