Sanine

"No, excuse me, but that's what you said...."

"If I said no, then I meant no! How absurd you are!" interrupted

Yourii, rendered more furious by the thought that this stupid Von Deitz

should for a moment presume to think himself the cleverer. "I meant to

say ..."

"That may be. I am sorry if I misunderstood you." Von Deitz shrugged

his narrow shoulders, with an air of condescension, as much as to say

that he had got the best of the argument.

This was not lost upon Yourii, whose fury almost choked him.

"I do not deny that Christianity has played an enormous part ..."

"Ah! now you contradict yourself," exclaimed Von Deitz, more triumphant

than ever, being intensely pleased to feel how incomparably superior he

was to Yourii, who obviously had not the remotest conception of what

was so neatly and definitely set out in his own brain.

"To you it may seem that I am contradicting myself," said Yourii

bitterly, "but, as a matter of fact, my Contention is a perfectly

logical one, and it is not my fault if you don't wish to understand me.

I said before, and I say again, that Christianity is played out, and it

is vain to look to it for salvation."

Yes, yes; but do you mean to deny the salutary influence of

Christianity, that is to say, as the basis of social order? ..."

"No, I don't deny that."

"But I do," interposed Sanine, who till now had walked behind them in

silence. His voice sounded calm and pleasant, in strange contrast to

the harsh accent of the disputants.

Yourii was silent. This good-tempered, mocking tone of voice annoyed

him, yet he had no answer ready. He was not fond of arguing with

Sanine, for his usual vocabulary proved useless in such an encounter.

Every time it seemed as if he were trying to break down a wall while

standing on smooth ice.

Von Deitz, however, stumbling along and rattling his spurs, exclaimed

irritably: "May I ask why?"

"Because I do," replied Sanine coolly.

"Because you do! If one asserts a thing, one ought to prove it."

"Why must I prove it? There is no need to prove anything. It is my own

personal conviction, but I have not the slightest wish to convince you.

Besides, it would be useless."

"According to your line of reasoning," observed Yourii cautiously, "one

had better make a bonfire of all literature."