terated, with a slight tipsy slur. "That be-fouled
Epictetus wasn't the last of 'em--nor the first. Oh, not by any means,
not by any means."

Here Lilly could not avoid a slight spasm of amusement. "But returning
to serious conversation," said Levison, turning his rather sallow face
to Lilly. "I think you'll agree with me that socialism is the inevitable
next step--"

Lilly waited for some time without answering. Then he said, with
unwilling attention to the question: "I suppose it's the logically
inevitable next step."

"Use logic as lavatory paper," cried Argyle harshly. "Yes--logically
inevitable--and humanly inevitable at the same time. Some form of
socialism is bound to come, no matter how you postpone it or try
variations," said Levison.

"All right, let it come," said Lilly. "It's not my affair, neither to
help it nor to keep it back, or even to try varying it."

"There I don't follow you," said Levison. "Suppose you were in Russia
now--"

"I watch it I'm not."

"But you're in Italy, which isn't far off. Supposing a socialist
revolution takes place all around you. Won't that force the problem on
you?--It is every man's problem," persisted Levison.

"Not mine," said Lilly.

"How shall you escape it?" said Levison.

"Because to me it is no problem. To Bolsh or not to Bolsh, as far as my
mind goes, presents no problem. Not any more than to be or not to be. To
be or not to be is simply no problem--"

"No, I quite agree, that since you are already existing, and since death
is ultimately inevitable, to be or not to be is no sound problem,"
said Levison. "But the parallel isn't true of socialism. That is not a
problem of existence, but of a certain mode of existence which centuries
of thought and action on the part of Europe have now made logically
inevitable for Europe. And therefore there is a problem. There is more
than a problem, there is a dilemma. Either we must go to the logical
conclusion--or--"

"Somewhere else," said Lilly.

"Yes--yes. Precisely! But where ELSE? That's the one half of the
problem: supposing you do not agree to a logical progression in human
social activity. Because after all, human society through the course
of ages only enacts, spasmodically but still inevitably, the logical
development of a given idea."

"Well, then, I tell you.--The idea and the ideal has for me gone
dead--dead as carrion--"

"Which idea, which ideal precisely?"

"The ideal of love, the ideal that it