s to maliciously desire to destroy such joys,
is a degeneration of the virtue of envy, of which I do not approve, but
from which no virtue is safe. On the contrary, nothing can more deeply
offend gods and men, than to meet certain souls who have never felt the
bliss of a noble envy, who in their sublime self-satisfaction, deride
or condemn every one who is not so well pleased with himself, who does
not draw his face into such well satisfied lines, and when he is
cleanly shaved pat himself delightedly on the back, and say to himself:
'You're a famous fellow!' My friends, I know what's due to the company.
I refrain from all personalities. But when I see certain brows, one in
particular, which begins to be prematurely bald, a brow that has the
effrontery--"

He had spoken louder and more rapidly, fixing his eyes more and more
steadily and defiantly on Marquard, who submitted to this singular
apostrophe with the utmost good humor; but at the last words, the smile
suddenly died on his lips. He again filled his glass, and rattled his
knife on an empty one that stood beside it.

"Ladies and gentlemen," said he, "as we have no president, who could
call any one abusing the freedom of speech to order, everyone must look
out for himself. I take the liberty of interrupting the honored orator,
because he's in the act of doing something for which I certainly should
not envy him: disturbing the beautiful harmony that pervades this
circle, by making to one of its members, who though perhaps unworthy is
certainly not obstreperous, exactly the reverse of a declaration of
love. I have the honor of being intimately acquainted with this member,
and know that our friend, Heinrich Mohr, has always used his right
not to think him agreeable. I have never disputed that right, though
I myself formerly held a different opinion and thought this man
whose soul was destitute of envy, a very lovable fellow. Since
that time"--here he cast a glance of comical pathos at his fair
neighbor--"I have found myself mistaken in this view, but for very
different reasons. I will not enter upon the intellectual controversy
about the virtue of envy. Friend Mohr will at least admit, that there
are exceptions to the rule. I, my friends, have studied so much natural
history, that I know the ostrich would not become any more perfect if
it envied the falcon its wings, and the sparrow would be a singular
fanatic if it practised solfeggi to outdo the nightingale. If ther