whole universe becomes a constituent part of his ‘ego;’ thus his desires cease individually to exist, and are assimilated with the entire phenomenal world, and he longs for nothing beyond this.  The ‘ego’ ceases because nothing is left outside the individual ‘ego;’ but this Nirvana, this highest step in the perfection of humanity, is, as you can see, not the negation of everything, but the absorption of everything; not something immovable, but rather the wonderful, ceaseless movement of the world’s life.  Men will not attain to Nirvana through quiet and indifference, but through strenuous labor, not by withdrawing into their ‘ego,’ but by going outside it.  The true Nirvana of the pandits is the exact opposite of your Schopenhauer’s Nirvana.”

“But how can this conception of the seer’s Nirvana coincide with their inactivity and renunciation of the world?”

“People misunderstand the fakir’s belief.  The Indian wise men think that the work of perfection is performed by the spirit alone, and that the activity of the body disturbs it; therefore the body must rest while the soul accomplishes its full measure of work, while it widens the circle of its interest, and absorbs into itself the phenomenal world.  The clumsy understanding of the crowd thereupon comes to the conclusion that to become holy and attain to Nirvana, one must not stir a finger, not even to support oneself.”

Wilhelm thought over this new point of view, but Schrotter went on: 

“Believe me, true wisdom is neither that of the fakir nor of the man of the world; but as it appears to me, it neither despises the world nor admires it.  One must not depend on oneself too much, neither on others.  One must always be saying to oneself that one has no lasting importance in the world, but that in this transitory state eternal forces are at work, the same forces which drive the earth round the sun, and which operate on all men and things.  Do not let us individualize too much; we are only a piece of the whole, to which we hang by a thousand unknown threads.  Let us not either be too arrogant in our bearing toward our fellow-men, in whose company we are the involuntary puppets of unknown laws of development which are leading humanity on to a given epoch.”

This conversation had taken Wilhelm’s mind off his misfortune, and he had almost forgotten his adventure with Pechlar.  He was reminded of it, however, on reaching home about three o’clock, by finding Paul, who always came to see him at that hour.

“What’s the news?” cried he, coming cheerfully to meet him.

“I went to-day to see Fraulein Ellrich, to set things right between us.”

“Bravo.”

“Yes; I went, but I have not done it.”  And then he related the incident again.

Paul seemed quite stunned while Wilhelm was speaking, and then sprang up in great excitement from the sofa, and cried: 

“You will fight the scoundrel, of course!”