f, his
sister Bella should accomplish. Pranken's whole bearing was forced and
unnatural. His uniform, worn ever since childhood, had given him not
only a feeling of exclusiveness, but also a definite, undisputed, and
exceptional position, which separated him from the ordinary mass of
men. Among his fellow-soldiers ha was lively, and high-spirited; not
specially remarkable for anything, but a good officer, knowing how to
take care of and to drill his horses and his men. Now that he had laid
aside his uniform, he felt in citizen's dress as if he were falling to
pieces; but he held himself all the more proudly erect, in order to
show by every movement that he did not belong to the common herd. In
the regiment there were always strict rules to be followed; now he was
under the command of duty and wearisome free-will. Left to himself, he
became painfully aware that he was nothing without his comrades. Life
appeared bare and dreary, and he had worked himself into a bitter and
satirical mood, which gave him in his own eyes, a certain superiority
to that blank, monotonous existence, without parade, or play, or
ballet. He looked with a sort of envy at Eric, who, poorer and without
advantages of social position, gazed around him so serenely and
composedly, feasting on the beauty of the landscape. Eric was certainly
the better off. Having become a soldier at a more mature age, he had
never lost his own individuality in the '_esprit de corps_' of army
life; and now that he was a civilian again, his whole appearance
changed, and his nature developed itself under a new and interesting
aspect.

"I envy you," said Pranken, after they had driven for sometime in
silence.

"_You_ envy _me_?"

"Yes! at first it vexed me and roused my pity, that a man like you
should enter the service of a private individual, and in such a
position! But perhaps it is fortunate for a man to be obliged to
determine on some career in order to make a living."

"Just for that reason," replied Eric, "will the task of educating the
young millionaire be a hard one. Two things only excite the powers of
men to activity: an idea, and worldly gain."

"I don't quite understand you."

"Let me make my meaning clearer. He who uses his power for the sake of
an idea enters the region of genius, however small and inconspicuous
may be the sphere of his activity. He who works for the sake of profit,
to supply the necessities, or the luxuries of life, is nothing but a
c