“To you it may seem that I am contradicting myself,” said Yourii bitterly, “but, as a matter of fact, my contention is a perfectly logical one, and it is not my fault if you don’t wish to understand me. I said before, and I say again, that Christianity is played out, and it is vain to look to it for salvation.”
“Yes, yes; but do you mean to deny the salutary influence of Christianity, that is to say, as the basis of social order? …”
“No, I don’t deny that.”
“But I do,” interposed Sanine, who till now had walked behind them in silence. His voice sounded calm and pleasant, in strange contrast to the harsh accent of the disputants.
Yourii was silent. This good-tempered, mocking tone of voice annoyed him, yet he had no answer ready. He was not fond of arguing with Sanine, for his usual vocabulary proved useless in such an encounter. Every time it seemed as if he were trying to break down a wall while standing on smooth ice.
Von Deitz, however, stumbling along and rattling his spurs, exclaimed irritably:
“May I ask why?”
“Because I do,” replied Sanine coolly.
“Because you do! If one asserts a thing, one ought to prove it.”
“Why must I prove it? There is no need to prove anything. It is my own personal conviction, but I have not the slightest wish to convince you. Besides, it would be useless.”