delivering a lecture on indeterminism, very much in
evidence.

"Uh--hello," I said weakly.

"Umph!" he responded, glaring at me. "So Carter was right, I see. Dixon,
the abysmal stupidity of the human race continually astounds me with new
evidence of its astronomical depths, but I believe this escapade of
yours plumbs the uttermost regions of imbecility."

"M-my escapade?"

"Do you think you can escape the piercing eye of van Manderpootz? As
soon as Carter told me you had been here in my absence, my mind leaped
nimbly to the truth. But Carter's information was not even necessary,
for half an eye was enough to detect the change in your attitude on
these last few evening visits. So you've been trying to adopt Carter's
viewpoint, eh? No doubt with the idea of ultimately depriving him of the
charming Miss Fitch!"

"W-why--"

"Listen to me, Dixon. We will disregard the ethics of the thing and look
at it from a purely rational viewpoint, if a rational viewpoint is
possible to anybody but van Manderpootz. Don't you realize that in order
to attain Carter's attitude toward Fitch, you would have to adopt his
_entire_ viewpoint? Not," he added tersely, "that I think his point of
view is greatly inferior to yours, but I happen to prefer the viewpoint
of a donkey to that of a mouse. Your particular brand of stupidity is
more agreeable to me than Carter's timid, weak, and subservient nature,
and some day you will thank me for this. Was his impression of Fitch
worth the sacrifice of your own personality?"

"I--I don't know."

"Well, whether it was or not, van Manderpootz has decided the matter in
the wisest way. For it's too late now, Dixon. I have given them both a
month's leave and sent them away--on a honeymoon. They left this
morning."

End of Project Gutenberg's The Point of View, by Stanley Grauman Weinbaum

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