But you will get
over this one of these times. Good evening! Our ways part here. Good
evening!"
And the young man turned off abruptly.
"A morbid state," mused Claire to himself, as he continued on alone.
"So thousands would say. But is it so? Is honesty or dishonesty the
morbid state? How direct a question! How plain the answer! Honesty is
health--dishonesty the soul's sickness. To be honest, is to live in
obedience to social and divine laws; dishonesty is the violation of
these. Is it possible for a diseased body to give physical enjoyment?
No! Nor can a diseased mind give true mental enjoyment. To seek
happiness in the possession of wealth obtained through wrong to
the neighbour, is as fruitless as to seek bodily pleasure in those
practices which inevitably destroy the health. To me, this is
self-evident, and may God give me strength to live according to my
clear convictions!"
The very earnestness with which Claire mentally confirmed himself in
his honest convictions, and especially his upward looking for strength
in conscious weakness, showed that his mind was in temptation. He
had felt somewhat depressed during the day, in view of his external
relation to the world; and this feeling was increased by his
observation of the fact that Parker had been advanced to the position
of a partner to his old employer.
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