g himself thus held up to view as the most
striking example of failure and ruin. Such a notoriety he had never
thought to attain. He tried to convince Proebler that a man had no right
to ruin himself, and then cry out against the world for having ruined
him. His arguments in favor of every man's helping himself instead of
expecting the world to help him greatly strengthened his own
confidence, but failed to affect his hearer, who drew a knife from his
pocket, and forcing it into Lenz's hand, together with the knife that
lay on the table, cried out: "There, you have all the knives; I can do
you no hurt. Now tell me honestly, am I a good-for-nothing fellow, or
might I have been the foremost man in the world, if the world had
helped me? Your father-in-law, whose soul the Devil must weigh out
like so much lead, smeared his creaking boots with the marrow of my
bones; and capital blacking he found it. Tell me honestly, am I a
good-for-nothing fellow, or what am I?"

Of course Lenz had to acknowledge that Proebler would have been a master
in his art, if he had remained in the right road; at which the old man
shouted and beat upon the table, and was with difficulty prevented from
throwing his arms about Lenz's neck and kissing him.

"I want no other funeral oration. Lenz has pronounced my eulogy. Drink,
drink! empty your glasses!"

Lenz had to drink with the rest, and Proebler, filling the glasses
again, cried out exultingly: "The doctor wants to take me into his
hospital, his manufactory. It is too late. The time for doctoring and
manufacturing is past. There is Lenz of the Morgenhalde, whom all
respect to-day and to-morrow, and how much longer? I was once like him,
and now when I go through the town men point their fingers at me and
shrug their shoulders and cry, 'Pah, there is that scamp of a Proebler!'
Follow my advice, Lenz. Don't wait till you are as old as I, but make
your bow in good season. Hark to me, brother, I have something to tell
you. Do you remember our setting up those standard regulators? Do you
know what we were then? A couple of pattern fools. Did you want to
unite the clockmakers in an association? You might as well try to make
them join hands with the Devil. Hark to me, brother! Don't tear
yourself away; stay here, stay here! I have something to tell you. I
make you my heir. There is a way to buy jollity in the world, and
forgetfulness, and good cheer. I know your heart is heavy; I know where
the shoe p