"What an egoist you are, Monsieur Gervase!" she said. "Even in
your professed passion for me you count yourself first,--me
afterwards!"

"Naturally!" he replied. "A man must always be first by natural
creation. When he allows himself to play second fiddle, he is a
fool!"

"And when he is a fool--and he often is--he is the first of
fools!" said the Princess. "No ape--no baboon hanging by its tail
to a tree--looks such a fool as a man-fool. For a man-fool has had
all the opportunities of education and learning bestowed upon him;
this great universe, with its daily lessons of the natural and the
supernatural, is his book laid open for his reading, and when he
will neither read it nor consider it, and, moreover, when he
utterly denies the very Maker of it, then there is no fool in all
creation like him. For the ape-fool does at least admit that there
may be a stronger beast somewhere,--a creature who may suddenly
come upon him and end his joys of hanging by his tail to a tree
and make havoc of his fruit-eating and chattering, while man
thinks there is nothing anywhere superior to himself."

Gervase smiled tolerantly.

"I am afraid I have ruffled you, Princess," he said. "I see you
have religious ideas: I have none."

Once again she laughed musically.