"What nonsense," said Bacon. "The only plays of yours I wrote were
_Ham_--"

"Sh!" said Shakespeare, shaking his head madly. "Hush. Nobody's said
anything about that. This is purely a discussion of _Othello_."

"The fiddling ex-Emperor Nero," said Bacon, loudly enough to be heard all
about the room, "is mistaken when he attributes _Othello_ to me."

"Aha, Master Nero!" cried Shakespeare triumphantly. "What did I tell
you?"

"Then I erred, that is all," said Nero. "And I apologize. But really,
my Lord," he added, addressing Bacon, "I fancied I detected your fine
Italian hand in that."

"No. I had nothing to do with the _Othello_," said Bacon. "I never
really knew who wrote it."

"Never mind about that," whispered Shakespeare. "You've said enough."

"That's good too," said Nero, with a chuckle. "Shakespeare here claims
it as his own."

Bacon smiled and nodded approvingly at the blushing Avonian.

"Will always was having his little joke," he said. "Eh, Will? How we
fooled 'em on _Hamlet_, eh, my boy? Ha-ha-ha! It was the greatest joke
of the century."