a great
compliment from me."

"We express the same meaning in different forms," answered Wilhelm.
"How can you add to the national wealth? By making yourself a rich man.
And I try to be useful to the community by educating myself in the
greatest possible morality, and the highest ideal of a citizen. No one
can work outside of himself when every individual strives to be good
and true, then the whole people will be good and noble."

"Now you are disputing as to your life's duty," cried Baninskoi, whose
eyes glowed, and whole face was red with the alcohol he had imbibed.
"Prove first that it is a duty. I deny without exception every duty to
others. Why should I trouble myself about the world? What are my
fellow-creatures to me? Dinner is trumps, and long live wine!" and he
drank a glassful.

"It is an instinct born with us," said Wilhelm, without any vexation,
"to care for one's fellow-creatures, and to feel a duty in sympathy for
others."

"But suppose I have not got this instinct?" answered Barinskoi.

"Then you are an unhealthy exception."

"Prove it."

"The best proof is the continuance of mankind. If the instinct of
sympathy with others were to fail among men, humanity would long ago
have ceased to exist."

Barinskoi laughed.

"That is a convenient arrangement. Instinct then is the only foundation
for your duty, and the continuance of humanity is the only sanction of
your instinct. I will leave you to listen to your instinct, and
sympathize as much as you like, but for my part I joyfully renounce
this duty; the only punishment I should be afraid of is the destruction
of mankind, and that is not likely to happen in my lifetime."

"There is another punishment," said Mayboom solemnly, "that I take this
bottle of champagne away from you on account of--your bad behavior."

While he spoke he took away the bottle, and Barinskoi tried to get it
back again; a little struggle ensued. Dorfling put an end to it by an
emphatic "Please don't do that." Turning to Wilhelm he went on:

"I do not believe in your idea of duty; you place instinct at the
foundation. I use another word. I call your instinct the foreboding
that each has of its being, and its outflow toward the eternal
phenomenon of principle. At all events, that seems to suffice for a
foundation. But I conceive duty to be quite a different thing. You
limit your view to self-culture, and have love for your
fellow-creatures, but no desire to instruct them. No