The two worthies took themselves off, shrugging their shoulders.
Victor asked them why they had been vexed with Gouy.
“He abuses his strength, which is wrong.”
“Why is it wrong?”
Could it be that the children had no idea of justice? Perhaps so.
And the same evening, Pécuchet, with Bouvard sitting at his right, and facing the two pupils with some notes in his hand, began a course of lectures on morality.
“This science teaches us to exercise control over our actions.
“They have two motives—pleasure and interest, and a third, more imperious—duty.
“Duties are divided into two classes: first, duties towards ourselves, which consist in taking care of our bodies, protecting ourselves against all injury.” (They understood this perfectly.) “Secondly, duties towards others; that is to say, to be always loyal, good-natured, and even fraternal, the human race being only one single family. A thing often pleases us which is injurious to our fellows; interest is a different thing from good, for good is in itself irreducible.” (The children did not comprehend.) He put off the sanction of duties until the next occasion.
In the entire lecture, according to Bouvard, he had not defined “good.”