"I had the fortune to be born a Russian, which has given me time to study these things. My country does not require my work beyond my being a faithful servant of my Emperor. Since I am not a soldier, I can do as I choose. But you in England are now in a seething caldron, and it would be difficult, no doubt, for you to spend the hours required--although the national temperament would lend itself to all things calm if it were directed." "But for myself," Stella demanded, "I am not a man, and need not interest myself in the nation's affairs--how can I grow to guide my own--as you seem to do?" "Never permit yourself to be ruffled by anything to commence with," Count Roumovski began gravely, while the pupils of his eyes appeared to grow larger. "Whatever mood you are in, you connect yourself with the cosmic current of that mood--you become in touch, so to speak, with all the other people who are under its dominion, and so it gains strength because unity is strength. If you can understand that as a basic principle, you can see that it is only a question of controlling yourself and directing your moods with those currents whose augmentation can bring you good. You must never be negative and drift. You can be drawn in any adverse way if you do." "I think I understand," said Stella, greatly interested. "Then you must use your critical faculties and make selections of what is best--and you must encourage common sense and distrust altruism. Sanity is the thing to aim at." "Yes." "The view of the world has become so distorted upon almost every point which started in good, that nothing but a cultivation of our individual critical faculties can enable us to see the truth--and nine-tenths of civilized humanity have no real opinion of their own at all--they simply echo those of others." "I feel that is true," said Stella, thinking of her own case. "It is not because a thing is bad or good that it succeeds--merely how much strength we put into the desire for it," he went on. "But surely we must believe that good will win over evil," and the brown eyes looked almost troubled, and his softened as he looked at her. "The very fact of believing that would make it come to pass by all these psychic laws. Whatever we really believe we draw," he said almost tenderly. "Then, if I were to believe all the difficulties and uncertainties would be made straight and just go on calmly, I should be happy, should I?" she asked, and there was an unconscious pathos in her voice which touched him deeply. "Certainly," he answered. "You have not had a fair chance--probably you have never been allowed to do a single thing of your own accord--have you?" "N--no," said Stella. "In the beginning, were you engaged to this good clergyman of your own wish?" and his eyes searched her face. She stiffened immediately, the training of years took offense, and she answered rather stiffly: "I do not think you have the right to ask me such a question, Count Roumovski."