he is not a man that it is easy to draw out, though he can be communicative enough when the fancy seizes him.
 Arthur Conan Doyle, A Study in Scarlet (1887). copy citation

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Author Arthur Conan Doyle
Source A Study in Scarlet
Topic
Date 1887
Language English
Reference
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Weblink http://www.gutenberg.org/files/244/244-h/244-h.htm

Context

“His studies are very desultory and eccentric, but he has amassed a lot of out-of-the way knowledge which would astonish his professors.” “Did you never ask him what he was going in for?” I asked. “No; he is not a man that it is easy to draw out, though he can be communicative enough when the fancy seizes him.” “I should like to meet him,” I said. “If I am to lodge with anyone, I should prefer a man of studious and quiet habits. I am not strong enough yet to stand much noise or excitement. I had enough of both in Afghanistan to last me for the remainder of my natural existence.” source