ANDREW. As I say, I thought I’d teach Mr. Tindle a lesson for his presumption. In a curious way, some of his remarks which Marguerite repeated to me, led me to believe that he was worth taking a little trouble with — even perhaps worth getting to know. Now, the shortest way to a man’s heart is humiliation. You soon find out what he’s made of.
DOPPLER. So, you invited him here and humiliated him?
ANDREW. I did indeed. I took a leaf out of the book of certain 18th century secret societies. They knew to a nicety how to determine whether someone was worthy to be included amongst their number and also how to humiliate him in the process. I refer of course to the initiation ceremony.
DOPPLER. Would it be something like bullying a new boy in school?
ANDREW. Not unlike, but the victim had the choise of refusal. When Count Cagliostro, the noted magician, sought admission to one such society, he was asked whether he was prepared to die for it, if need be. He said he was. He was then sentenced to death, blindfolded and a pistol containing powder but no shot placed against his temple and discharged.
DOPPLER. And you did this to Mr. Tindle?
ANDREW. More or less.
Anthony Shaffer, “Sleuth”