What FIVE WORDS should go in the blank which would complete this excerpt from an 1853 short story? "In this very attitude did I sit when I called to him, rapidly stating what it was I wanted him to do—namely, to examine a small paper with me. Imagine my surprise, nay, my consternation, when without moving from his privacy, Bartleby in a singularly mild, firm voice, replied, “_____.”"
I would prefer not to