Page:The Bohemians of the Latin Quarter.djvu/151

by a generous hand, I have sworn to use in laboriously acquiring a serious position—such as a virtuous man should occupy. Labor is the most sacred of duties—.”

“And the horse, the noblest of animals,” interrupted Marcel. “Bah! where did you get that sermon? Been through a course of good sense, no doubt.”

“Interrupt me not,” replied Rodolphe, “and truce to your railleries. They will be blunted against the buckler of invulnerable resolution in which I am from this moment clad.”

“That will do for prologue. Now the conclusion.”

“This is my design. No longer embarrassed about the material wants of life, I am going seriously to work. First of all, I renounce my vagabond existence; I shall dress like other people, set up a black coat, and go to evening-parties. If you are willing to follow in my footsteps, we will continue to live together: but you must adopt my programme. The strictest economy will preside over our life. By proper management we have before us three months’ work without any preoccupation. But we must be economical.”

“My dear fellow,” said Marcel, “economy is a science only practicable for rich people; you and I, therefore, are ignorant of its first elements. However, by making an outlay of six francs we can have the works of Monsieur Jean-Baptiste Say, a very distinguished economist, who will perhaps teach us how to practice the art. Hello! you have a Turkish pipe there!”

“Yes; I bought it for twenty-five francs.”

“How is that! You talk of economy, and give twenty-five francs for a pipe!”

“And this is an economy. I used to break a two-sous pipe every day, and at the end of the year that came to a great deal more.”