"I think--no--I think NOT."
"If he feels afraid," cried Benham, seeing his one point. "If he
feels afraid. Then he ought to take it. . . ."
After a digestive interval, Prothero asked, "WHY? Why should he?"
The discussion of that momentous question, that Why? which Benham
perhaps might never have dared ask himself, and which Prothero
perhaps might never have attempted to answer if it had not been for
the clash of their minds, was the chief topic of their conversation
for many months. From Why be brave? it spread readily enough to
Why be honest? Why be clean?--all the great whys of life. . . .
Because one believes. . . . But why believe it? Left to himself
Benham would have felt the mere asking of this question was a thing
ignoble, not to be tolerated. It was, as it were, treason to
nobility. But Prothero put it one afternoon in a way that permitted
no high dismissal of their doubts. "You can't build your honour on
fudge, Benham. Like committing sacrilege--in order to buy a cloth
for the altar."
By that Benham was slipped from the recognized code and launched
upon speculations which became the magnificent research.
Pages:
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108