Page:Carroll - Sylvie and Bruno Concluded.djvu/335

XIX] "The sufferings of horses," I said, "are chiefly caused by Man's cruelty. So that is merely one of the many instances of Sin causing suffering to others than the Sinner himself. But don't you find a greater difficulty in sufferings inflicted by animals upon each other? For instance, a cat playing with a mouse. Assuming it to have no moral responsibility, isn't that a greater mystery than a man over-driving a horse?"

"I think it is," said Lady Muriel, looking a mute appeal to her father.

"What right have we to make that assumption?" said the Earl. "Many of our religious difficulties are merely deductions from unwarranted assumptions. The wisest answer to most of them, is, I think, 'behold, we know not anything!

"You mentioned 'division of labour,' just now," I said. "Surely it is carried to a wonderful perfection in a hive of bees?"

"So wonderfulso entirely super-human" said the Earl, "and so entirely inconsistent with the intelligence they show in other waysthat I feel no doubt at all that it is