, 'Miss Elisabet' is sad in her spirit -- what is the
matter?' -- and you hold up your head straight and look bright
out of your eyes, and they say, 'Miss Elisabet' is fiere -- she
feels herself goot; she do not fear nozing, she do not care
for nozing.'"

"I am sure it is a trifle whether I look one way or another,
Mr. Herder," said Elizabeth, laughing a little.

"Ozer people do not think so," said the naturalist.

"Besides, it is not true, that I fear nothing and care for
nothing."

"But then you do not want to tell everybody what you do
think," said the naturalist.

"I don't care much about it!" said Elizabeth. "I think that is
a trifle, Mr. Herder."

"Which is?" -- said the naturalist.

"What people think about me."

"You do not think so?"

"I do."

"I am sorry," said the naturalist.

"Why?"

"It is not goot, for people to not care what ozer people
thinks about them."

"Why isn't it good? I think it is. I am sure it is
comfortable."

"It shews they have a mind to do something what ozer people
will not like."

"Very well! --"

"Dat is not goot."

"Maybe it is good, Mr. Herder. People are not always right in
their expectations."

"It is better to go smooth wiz people," said the naturalist
shaking his head a little.

"Or without them," said Elizabeth.

"Question, can you do that?" said Rufus.

"What?" said his brother.

"Live smoothly, or live at all, without regard to other
people."

"It is of the world at large I was speaking," said Elizabeth.
"Of course there are some few, a very few, whose word -- and
whose thought -- one would care for and strive for, -- that is
not what I mean."

"And who are those few fine persons?" said Mr. Herder
significantly.

"He is unhappy that doesn't know one or two," Elizabeth
answered with infinite gravity.

"And the opinions of the rest of men you would despise?" said
Rufus.

"Utterly! -- so far as they trenched upon my freedom of
action."

"You can't live so," said Rufus shaking his head.

"I _will_ live so, if I live at all."

"Wint'rop, you do not say nozing," said the naturalist.

"What need, sir?"

"Dere is always need for everybody to say what he thinks,"
said Mr. Herder. "Here we have all got ourselves in a puzzle,
and we don't know which way we stand."

"I am afraid every man must get out of that puzzle for
himself, sir."

"Is it a puzzle at all?" said Elizabeth facing round upon him.

"Not when you have got out of it."