have played on the bass-viol."

"A very philosophical instrument. Then, if you understand music, you
also understand that one cannot, without violation of the laws of
harmony, introduce a fifth performer into a quartet; it would cease to
be a quartet."

"Exactly, and become a quintet."

"A quintet, very well, now attend to me. You understand astronomy?"

"A little, I'm a bachelor of arts."

"There is a little song about that," said Colline. "'Dear bachelor, says
Lisette'--I have forgotten the tune. Well then, you know that there are
four cardinal points. Now suppose there were to turn up a fifth cardinal
point, all the harmony of nature would be upset. What they call a
cataclysm--you understand?"

"I am waiting for the conclusion," said Carolus, whose intelligence
began to be a little shaky.

"The conclusion--yes, that is the end of the argument, as death is the
end of life, and marriage of love. Well, my dear sir, I and my friends
are accustomed to live together, and we fear to impair, by the
introduction of another person, the harmony which reigns in our habits,
opinions, tastes, and dispositions. To speak frankly, we are going to
be, some day, the four cardinal points of contemporary art; accustomed
to this idea, it would annoy us to see a fifth point."

"Nevertheless," suggested Carolus, "where you are four it is easy to be
five."

"Yes, but then we cease to be four."

"The objection is a trivial one."

"There is nothing trivial in this world; little brooks make great
rivers; little syllables make big verses; the very mountains are made of
grains of sand--so says 'The Wisdom of Nations,' of which there is a
copy on the quay--tell me, my dear sir, which is the furrow that you
usually follow in the noble fields of intelligence?"

"The great philosophers and the classic authors are my models. I live
upon their study. 'Telemachus' first inspired the consuming passion I
feel."

"'Telemachus'--there are lots of him on the quay," said Colline. "You
can find him there at any time. I have bought him for five sous--a
second-hand copy--I would consent to part with it to oblige you. In
other respects, it is a great work; very well got up, considering the
age."

"Yes, sir," said Carolus. "I aspire to high philosophy and sound
literature. According to my idea, art is a priesthood--."

"Yes, yes," said Colline. "There's a song about that too," and he began
to hum....

"Art's a priesthood, art's a priestho