The Baron shrugged his shoulders. Why, he wondered, why on earth should a man care about a pre-existence, or a spiritual existence, at all, who had everything that his heart could desire in his terrestrial life? He could imagine that starving poets or hungry theologians comforted themselves with those fancies, but Othmar!----
'You should have been a Montalembert or a Lamennais,' he answered, which was a polite way of saying that he was an imbecile.
'Without being either the one or the other, one may carry into public life the same sort of honour which even you think incumbent on one in public life,' said Othmar.
'Not at all,' said his relative. 'The code for one has never been the code for the other. A man in private life may not send another man to be slain because it suits his purpose; a man in public life, that is, as a war minister or as an officer commanding-in-chief may send ten thousand, fifty thousand, men to certain slaughter. So has a diplomatist every title to lie as much as he may need to do in the public service, but he has no right to deceive his personal friend in a private matter. This is not mere casuistry; it is common-sense. Indeed, all effective casuistry is based on common-sense.'
'The most dangerous casuistry is so, no doubt,' said Othmar. 'Because when it is so based it is irresistible in its appeal to egotism.'
'I do not know why you use the word dangerous,' replied the Baron. 'Nothing is so wholesome as to teach men to take care of their own interests. If that lesson were universally understood, there would be neither paupers or criminals.'
'We should have a world of bankers,' said Othmar. 'With all deference to you, even that would not be a Millennium.'
The Baron assented with good humour that it would certainly not be one, since there would be no investments of any kind possible.
The day was tedious to Othmar. He had to examine many projects, and append his signature to many documents. He had not disappeared into Central Asia for eighteen months without having brought upon himself the penalty of many arrears of affairs. His assent was merely _pro formâ_, but the formula was necessary.
'He is in love still with Madame Napraxine,' thought his uncle, finding his attention hard to fix. He was not sorry for that. At Othmar's age he was sure to be in love with someone, and the more he was in love the less likely was he to meddle with the transactions of the House.
