“Yes, but it’s no new subject of complaint. For some time past I have noticed the thing every day at breakfast, dinner, and supper, and if I have not given utterance to my dislike, it has been to avoid any unpleasantness; but to-day it seems as if I were losing patience.” “Lose it; I will pick it up.” “You might have a little more consideration, especially when you usurp the prerogative of a god and distribute good and evil with such authority.” “What do you mean?” “I mean that you always serve the boys first and the girls after, whilst in all ages and countries ladies are served first.” She began to laugh heartily. “But I see no ladies here, only children, who have no sex in my eyes, for I love them all equally. To-day, and for several days past, I have helped Cecchino and Pietro first because they are near me. When Maria was in Cecchino’s place I helped her first. What! ought we to teach children, in their earliest age of innocence, etiquette and the laws of society? This seems to me the height of absurdity.” “As to the absurdity of the idea, that is not the question. It is a matter of justice. You always prefer the boys.” “And you the girls, so we are quits.” “But look round and read your condemnation in the plates of the children. You not only help the boys first, but you give them more.” “Of course; they are older!” “No, no, independently of age you are partial.” “But when none are the same age?” “What difference does one or two years make? The difference is in your injustice, your deplorable partiality.” “Do me the favour of helping them yourself. It will be one labour the less for me and for you a pleasant occupation, a splendid opportunity to administer justice in the family. From this time forth I will help them no more.” “Neither will I.” ⁂ For the honour of the two married people who discoursed so learnedly on distributive justice, it must be remarked that they spoke in German, a language the children did not know. So that for this time at least they had no opportunity of learning that heaven is very far from most families, and that human justice is generally very unjust.