ogic: why should Mr. Amadeus
Adams become jealous on this particular day?... Up to the twenty-third
of October he was not, and all at once, on the twenty-third, he is....

AMADEUS

A lot of things have changed since yesterday.

ALBERT

Have changed...? Since yesterday...? Well, I declare!

AMADEUS (_after a pause_)

So that you didn't believe it either?

ALBERT

To confess the truth--no.

AMADEUS

Which means that I am living among a lot of people who....

ALBERT

Will be in the right ultimately. Why should that arouse your
indignation? If we were to live long enough, every lie that's floating
about would probably become true. Listen to those who belie you, and
you will know the truth about yourself. Gossip knows very rarely what
we are doing, but almost always whither we are drifting.

AMADEUS

_We_ didn't know we were drifting this way--that much you will admit, I
hope.

ALBERT

And yet it had to come. Friendship between two people of different
sexes is always dangerous--even when they are married. If there is too
much mutual understanding between our souls, many things are swept
along that we would rather keep back; and when our senses are attracted
mutually, the suction affects much more of our souls than we would care
to have involved. That's a universal law, my dear chap, for which the
profound uncertainty of all earthly relations between man and woman
must be held responsible. And only he who doesn't know it, will trust
himself or anybody else.--If you don't mind? (_He begins to butter one
of the rolls_)

AMADEUS

So you think you understand...?

ALBERT

Of course! That's my specialty, don't you know?

AMADEUS

Well, if you understand what has happened, and understand it must have
happened--then you will also understand that I must face the logical
consequences.

ALBERT

Logical consequences...? Here I am talking wisdom, and you clamor for
nonsense. And that's what you call logical consequences?... My opinion
is rather, that you are about to behave like a perfect fool. Anybody
else might do what you now propose: you are the only one who mustn't.
For when you propose such a thing, it becomes illogical, ungenerous,
not to say dishonest. You want to call a man to account for something
which, as he sees it, has been declared explicitly permissible.... In
his place I should laugh in your face. If anybody has the right to be
indignant here, and to demand an account, it is the Prince