conscious of
their moral responsibilities.

"But be on your guard," he said, as if instructing Eric. "No
aristocracy in the world is so eager for knowledge as that of Russia;
but unhappily their zeal and aspirations run themselves out in a year
or two, and they easily fall back into lazy indifference. They have a
great talent for imitation, but how persevering it will be, or whether
they can produce anything new, remains to be proved. Perhaps this
freeing of the serfs is a great moral turning-point."

Eric thought it a glorious proof of the free spirit of the age, that
this enfranchisement was the work not of the clergy, whose office it
might seem peculiarly to be, but of pure and simple humanity, having no
ecclesiastical stamp.

"That idea had not occurred to me," answered Clodwig, expressing his
gratitude in word and tone.

The two men were still engaged in far-reaching discussions concerning
the power of the spirit, and Clodwig was just expressing his pain at
the power which brute force exercises over the spirit, so much greater
than man is willing to acknowledge to himself, when Bella entered. Her
face glowed as she greeted Eric; and her companion, an elegant but
rather blase-looking young man, gave him a gracious salutation. He was
glad, he said, that Eric spoke French so fluently, for his own German
was very clumsy; and he added that Eric's French descent was apparent
in his accent, which was such as only a French tongue was capable of.

After separating for a short time, the party reassembled for a second
breakfast in the room opening on the garden.

Clodwig must have strongly impressed upon the Russian the advantages he
would derive from intercourse with Eric, for the young man addressed
him at once by saying, "I should be very glad if you would let me learn
something from you."

He said it so confidingly, and with so much of a child's submission,
that Eric gave him his hand, saying,--

"I am sure I shall be able to learn something from you too."

"Except whist, which every one says I play exceedingly well, I am
afraid there is nothing to be learned from me," laughed the Russian.

Then, as a man who at once looks to the producers for a knowledge of
the products of a country, he said,--

"I hear that philosophy has gone out of fashion in Germany; can you
tell me any reason for the fact?"

Clodwig nodded; the topic was well chosen, and the question modestly
put.

Eric suggested as his opinion, wit