PART II
10. CHAPTER X.
(continued)
Murmurs arose in the neighbourhood of Burdovsky and his
companions; Lebedeff's nephew protested under his breath.
"I have nearly finished," replied Evgenie Pavlovitch.
"I will only remark that from these premisses one could conclude
that might is right--I mean the right of the clenched fist, and of
personal inclination. Indeed, the world has often come to that
conclusion. Prudhon upheld that might is right. In the American
War some of the most advanced Liberals took sides with the
planters on the score that the blacks were an inferior race to
the whites, and that might was the right of the white race."
"Well?"
"You mean, no doubt, that you do not deny that might is right?"
"What then?"
"You are at least logical. I would only point out that from the
right of might, to the right of tigers and crocodiles, or even
Daniloff and Gorsky, is but a step."
"I know nothing about that; what else?"
Hippolyte was scarcely listening. He kept saying well?" and "what
else?" mechanically, without the least curiosity, and by mere
force of habit.
"Why, nothing else; that is all."
"However, I bear you no grudge," said Hippolyte suddenly, and,
hardly conscious of what he was doing, he held out his hand with
a smile. The gesture took Evgenie Pavlovitch by surprise, but
with the utmost gravity he touched the hand that was offered him
in token of forgiveness.
"I can but thank you," he said, in a tone too respectful to be
sincere, "for your kindness in letting me speak, for I have often
noticed that our Liberals never allow other people to have an
opinion of their own, and immediately answer their opponents with
abuse, if they do not have recourse to arguments of a still more
unpleasant nature."
|