I am a just man even to my enemy, and I will acknowledge beforehand that they are cleverer brains than I thought them.
 Wilkie Collins, The Woman in White (1859). copy citation

Context

“The expression of his face changed on the instant, and his hand came out of the drawer empty.
"I don't lock up my drawer, Mr. Hartright," he said, "and I don't say that I may not scatter your brains about the fireplace yet. But I am a just man even to my enemy, and I will acknowledge beforehand that they are cleverer brains than I thought them. Come to the point, sir! You want something of me?"
"I do, and I mean to have it."
"On conditions?"
"On no conditions."
His hand dropped into the drawer again.” source

Meaning and analysis

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