"There was a time when I envied the frivolous, and even the vicious, their light-heartedness. I desired to be like them. Why burden one's soul with moral considerations, when one may live so pleasantly while seizing the joys the world affords us?"
Gunther paused, and the queen looked up at him in astonishment. He continued calmly:
"I have saved myself, and my rich experience has convinced me that every one of us, even though he strive for excellence, has, so to say, a skeleton closet somewhere in his soul. There must have been a time, if only a moment, when his thoughts were impure, or when he was on the point of committing a sin."
As if reflecting on what he had said, the queen was silent for a long while, and at last said:
"Tell me; are there any happy beings in this world?"
"How do you mean?"
"I mean, are there beings in whom inclination and destiny are in accord, and who are, at the same time, conscious of this harmony?"
"I thank you! I see that you are endeavoring to express yourself with precision. Your Majesty knows that, to a certain extent, I judge persons by their mode of forming sentences. It is not so important to display what is called cleverness, as to be clear and concise in what one has to say."
The queen observed that her friend endeavored to lead her to take a larger view of affairs, and to assist her in acquiring self-command; and, with a sad smile, she asked:
"And do you know the answer to my question?"