I felt a want to speak about Aniela, my future
marriage, and I knew that sooner or later Sniatynski himself would
broach the question. I gave him an opening after the ladies had left
us by saying:--
"And do you still believe as firmly as ever in your life-dogmas?"
"More than ever, or rather, the same as ever. There is no expression
more worn to tatters than the word 'love;' one scarcely likes to use
it; but between ourselves, I tell you; love in the general meaning,
love in the individual sense does not permit of criticism. It is one
of the canons of life. My philosophy consists in not philosophizing
about it at all,--and the deuce take me if for the matter of that, I
consider myself more foolish than other people. With love, life is
worth something; without, it is not worth a bag of chaff."
"Let us see what you have to say about individual love,--or better
still, put in its place woman."
"Very well, let it be woman."
"My good friend, do you not perceive on what brittle foundation you
are building human happiness?"
"On about as brittle a foundation as life,--no more nor less!"
I did not want to drift into a discussion of life and death, and
pulled Sniatynski up.
"For mercy's sake, do not generalize about individual happiness. You
chanced to find the right woman, another might not."
He would not even listen to that.
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