Does he think we are concentrating? Does he think we are able to listen?  Does he think we are taking notes?

Does he think that what he teaches has any relevance to us? Does he think what he says can enter our souls? Does he think that he will shape us by what he says? Does he think we will be formed in some way? Does he think we are capable of learning a lesson? Of taking something in?

True, we must admit that there is something interesting about him; that he is a figure of curiosity for us; that his quirks are unusual; that he is a ‘case’. We must admit that we want to see where it is all going, that there is a sense of gathering urgency to his lectures, that the momentum is increasing, that something is coming to climax, that, soon enough, it will reach its head.