"When law becomes despotic, morals are
relaxed, and vice versa.
"Let us drink to the imbecility of authority, which gives us such an
authority over imbeciles!" said the good banker.
"Napoleon left us glory, at any rate, my good friend!" exclaimed a
naval officer who had never left Brest.
"Glory is a poor bargain; you buy it dear, and it will not keep. Does
not the egotism of the great take the form of glory, just as for
nobodies it is their own well-being?"
"You are very fortunate, sir----"
"The first inventor of ditches must have been a weakling, for society
is only useful to the puny. The savage and the philosopher, at either
extreme of the moral scale, hold property in equal horror."
"All very fine!" said Cardot; "but if there were no property, there
would be no documents to draw up."
"These green peas are excessively delicious!"
"And the _cure_ was found dead in his bed in the morning. . . ."
"Who is talking about death? Pray don't trifle, I have an uncle."
"Could you bear his loss with resignation?"
"No question."
"Gentlemen, listen to me! _How to kill an uncle_. Silence! (Cries of
"Hush! hush!") In the first place, take an uncle, large and stout,
seventy years old at least, they are the best uncles.
Pages:
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85