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88 "Of course, men must think about themselves most of all."

"Very good. Now let us see if you will put this into practice."

"Let us see."

"A rich man wants to marry me. I don't like him. Must I accept his offer?"

"Consider what is for your best advantage."

"My best advantage! You know that I am very poor. On one side is my dislike of the man; on the other, I should have the upper hand of him, an enviable position in society, money, a crowd of worshippers!"

"Weigh everything; choose what would be most advantageous."

"And if I choose the husband's wealth and the crowd of worshippers?"

"I shall say that you have chosen that which seemed more correspondent with your interests."

"And what ought to be said about myself?"

"If you have acted coolly, after mature deliberation, it will have to be said that you have done wisely, and probably you will not be sorry for it."

"But would my choice deserve condemnation?"

"People who talk all sorts of nonsense will speak about it as they please; but people who look upon life from a reasonable standpoint will say that you have done as you ought. If you have done so, it will show that such was your individuality, that you could not have acted otherwise, circumstances being as they are; they will say that you have acted under the necessity of things, that properly speaking you could not have had any other choice."

"And no condemnation whatever for my actions?"

"Who has the right to condemn the results of a fact when the fact itself is in existence? Your individuality in the given circumstances is a fact; your actions are the essential, unavoidable results of this fact, arising from the nature of things. You are not responsible for them, and to condemn them is absurd."

"Well, I see you stick to your theory. And so I shall not deserve your condemnation, if I accept the rich man's offer?"

"I should be a fool if I condemned it."

"And so your permission,—I might say, your approval