nt, certainly for the twentieth
time.

'Good, good! but yet you must not put on an air of wanting to be wiser
than your own father.'

'Why, my father himself said that he would have it so.'

'What? When did your father say that?' The teacher almost began to
believe that the wine had gone to the young gentleman's head.

'At the table--in his speech.'

'At the table--yes! In his speech--yes! But, don't you see, that is
quite another matter. People allow themselves to say such things,
especially in speeches; but it is by no means intended that these
theories should be translated into practice. No, believe me, my dear
boy, I am old, and I know humanity. The world must wag like this; we are
not made otherwise. In youth one has his own peculiar view of life, but,
young man, it is not the right one. Only when one has arrived at the
calm restfulness of an advanced age does one see circumstances in the
true light. And now I will tell you something, upon the truth of which
you may confidently rely. When you come to your father's years and
position, your opinions will be quite the same as his now are, and, like
him, you will strive to maintain them and impress them upon your
children.'

'No, never! I swear it,' cried the young man, springing to his feet. And
now he spoke in glowing terms, to the effect that for him right would
always be right, that he would respect the truth, no matter whence it
came, that he would respect the young, and so on. In short, he talked as
hopeful youths are wont to talk after a good dinner and violent mental
disturbance.

He was beautiful, as he stood there with the evening sun shining upon
his blonde hair, and his enthusiastic countenance turned upward.

There was in his whole personality and in his words something
transporting and convincing, something that could not fail to work an
impression--that is to say, if anybody but the teacher had seen and
heard him.

For upon the teacher it made no impression whatever; he was old, of
course.

The drama of which he had that day been a witness he had seen many
times. He himself had successively played both the principal _roles_; he
had seen many _debutants_ like the student and many old players like the
merchant.

Therefore he shook his venerable head, and said to himself:

'Yes, yes; it is all well enough. But just see if I am not right; he
will become precisely the same as the rest of us.'

And the teacher was right.

TROFAST.