- Trim compares Limerick to a giant puddle (get out the galoshes!) The damp makes everyone sick, and those who are rich enough burn a dish full of brandy every night, which takes the damp out of the air. From this, Trim concludes, radical moisture is nothing but ditch-water; and radical heat is burnt brandy.
- Dr. Slop gives his opinion: heat and moisture are the basis of our being, and Trim has gotten confused by hearing some superficial discussion of the terms.