r-glasses, Coppola, had exercised a fatal
and disturbing influence upon his life. It was quite patent to all; for
even during the first few days he showed that he was completely and
entirely changed. He gave himself up to gloomy reveries, and moreover
acted so strangely; they had never observed anything at all like it in
him before. Everything, even his own life, was to him but dreams and
presentiments. His constant theme was that every man who delusively
imagined himself to be free was merely the plaything of the cruel sport
of mysterious powers, and it was vain for man to resist them; he must
humbly submit to whatever destiny had decreed for him. He went so far
as to maintain that it was foolish to believe that a man could do
anything in art or science of his own accord; for the inspiration in
which alone any true artistic work could be done did not proceed from
the spirit within outwards, but was the result of the operation
directed inwards of some Higher Principle existing without and beyond
ourselves.

This mystic extravagance was in the highest degree repugnant to Clara's
clear intelligent mind, but it seemed vain to enter upon any attempt at
refutation. Yet when Nathanael went on to prove that Coppelius was the
Evil Principle which had entered into him and taken possession of him
at the time he was listening behind the curtain, and that this hateful
demon would in some terrible way ruin their happiness, then Clara grew
grave and said, "Yes, Nathanael. You are right; Coppelius is an Evil
Principle; he can do dreadful things, as bad as could a Satanic power
which should assume a living physical form, but only--only if you do
not banish him from your mind and thoughts. So long as you believe in
him he exists and is at work; your belief in him is his only power."
Whereupon Nathanael, quite angry because Clara would only grant the
existence of the demon in his own mind, began to dilate at large upon
the whole mystic doctrine of devils and awful powers, but Clara
abruptly broke off the theme by making, to Nathanael's very great
disgust, some quite commonplace remark. Such deep mysteries are sealed
books to cold, unsusceptible characters, he thought, without being
clearly conscious to himself that he counted Clara amongst these
inferior natures, and accordingly he did not remit his efforts to
initiate her into these mysteries. In the morning, when she was helping
to prepare breakfast, he would take his stand beside her,