Fleury [getting hot]. “If the government offices are public places, the matter ought to be taken into the police-courts.” Phellion [wishing to avert a quarrel, tries to turn the conversation]. “Gentleman, might I ask you to keep quiet? I am writing a little treatise on moral philosophy, and I am just at the heart of it.” Fleury [interrupting]. “What are you saying about it, Monsieur Phellion?” Phellion [reading]. “Question.--What is the soul of man? “Answer.--A spiritual substance which thinks and reasons.” Thuillier. “Spiritual substance! you might as well talk about immaterial stone.” Poiret. “Don’t interrupt; let him go on.” Phellion [continuing]. “Quest.--Whence comes the soul? “Ans.--From God, who created it of a nature one and indivisible; the destructibility thereof is, consequently, not conceivable, and he hath said--” Poiret [amazed]. “God said?” Phellion. “Yes, monsieur; tradition authorizes the statement.” Fleury [to Poiret]. “Come, don’t interrupt, yourself.” Phellion [resuming]. “--and he hath said that he created it immortal; in other words, the soul can never die. “Quest.--What are the uses of the soul? “Ans.--To comprehend, to will, to remember; these constitute understanding, volition, memory. “Quest.--What are the uses of the understanding? “Ans.--To know. It is the eye of the soul.” Fleury. “And the soul is the eye of what?” Phellion [continuing]. “Quest.--What ought the understanding to know? “Ans.--Truth. “Quest.--Why does man possess volition? “Ans.--To love good and hate evil. “Quest.--What is good? “Ans.--That which makes us happy.” Vimeux. “Heavens! do you teach that to young ladies?” Phellion. “Yes” [continuing]. “Quest.--How many kinds of good are there?” Fleury. “Amazingly indecorous, to say the least.” Phellion [aggrieved]. “Oh, monsieur!” [Controlling himself.] “But here’s the answer,--that’s as far as I have got” [reads]:-- “Ans.--There are two kinds of good,--eternal good and temporal good.” Poiret [with a look of contempt]. “And does that sell for anything?” Phellion. “I hope it will. It requires great application of mind to carry on a system of questions and answers; that is why I ask you to be quiet and let me think, for the answers--” Thuillier [interrupting]. “The answers might be sold separately.” Poiret. “Is that a pun?” Thuillier. “No; a riddle.” Phellion. “I am sorry I interrupted you” [he dives into his office desk]. “But” [to himself] “at any rate, I have stopped their talking about Monsieur Rabourdin.” At this moment a scene was taking place between the minister and des Lupeaulx which decided Rabourdin’s fate. The general-secretary had gone to see the minister in his private study before the breakfast-hour, to make sure that La Briere was not within hearing. “Your Excellency is not treating me frankly--”