Ricardo laughed grimly.  "Say on, without fear," he remarked; "don't stop to pick and choose your words.  In my time I have been compelled to listen to words that have seared my very soul, words that drove me desperate, and made me what I am.  You can scarcely have anything to say that will hurt me more keenly than I have been hurt already; moreover, I have now grown callous, so say on without fear."