"I wouldn't know, madam. I was uninvolved with that," Long says, unable to help his default to manners even when talking to one of the hamsters.

"Personally the only thing I desire cannot be given 'freely', and I do not think it can be given by you in any case. But many of the people here have left family and loved ones behind-- spouses, madam, or children in some cases.

"If you believe that gifts such as tea and trinkets and foodstuffs can replace such a loss, you and your colleagues comprehend even less of human nature than I do."