“You have seen a great deal since we first met at Belmont,” said the princess to Lothair.
“It seems to me now,” said Lothair, “that I knew as much of life then as I did of the stars above us, about whose purposes and fortunes I used to puzzle myself.”
“And might have remained in that ignorance. The great majority of men exist but do not live—like Italy in the last century. The power of the passions, the force of the will, the creative energy of the imagination—these make life, and reveal to us a world of which the million are entirely ignorant You have been fortunate in your youth to have become acquainted with a great woman. It develops all a man’s powers, and gives him a thousand talents.”
“I often think,” said Lothair, “that I have neither powers nor talents, but am drifting without an orbit.”
“Into infinite space,” said the princess. “Well, one might do worse than that. But it is not so. In the long-run your nature will prevail, and you will fulfil your organic purpose; but you will accomplish your ends with a completeness which can only be secured by the culture and development you are now experiencing.”
“And what is my nature?” said Lothair. “I wish you would tell me.”
“She has told me many things, but not that.”
“How, then, could I know,” said the princess, “if she has not discovered it?”
“But perhaps she has discovered it,” said Lothair.
“Oh! then she would tell you,” said the princess, “for she is the soul of truth.”
“But she is also the soul of kindness, and she might wish to spare my feelings.”
“Well, that is very modest, and I dare say not affected. For there is no man, however gifted, even however conceited, who has any real confidence in himself until he has acted.”
“Well, we shall soon act,” said Lothair, “and then I. suppose I shall know my nature.”
“In time,” said the princess, “and with the continued inspiration of friendship.”
“But you too are a great friend of Theodora?”
“Although a woman. I see you are laughing at female friendships, and, generally speaking, there is foundation for the general sneer. I will own, for my part, I have every female weakness, and in excess. I am vain, I am curious, I am jealous, and I am envious; but I adore Theodora. I reconcile my feelings toward her and my disposition in this way. It is not friendship—it is worship. And indeed there are moments when I sometimes think she is one of those beautiful divinities that we once worshipped in this land, and who, when they listened to our prayers, at least vouchsafed that our country should not be the terrible wilderness that you crossed this day.”