“But what is really your object and your mode of life here, my good friend?”
“We spend our time in the cultivation of our higher faculties. We rise frightfully early—I hardly dare tell you how early; we then devote some hours to religious worship; after which we occupy ourselves in a variety of ways; some read, some write, some labor in the gardens; and I assure you no hired workmen ever toiled harder and better than these spontaneous agriculturists. We meet at different times, and sing beautiful songs together, all breathing virtue and purity, and read most improving books, and receive oral instruction from eloquent teachers. Our meals are indeed very temperate; we live entirely on vegetables; but I have already found out that laughing is quite compatible with lentils, and that good cheer does not necessarily mean good fare.”
“Why, you are turned complete Pythagoreans. I thought that was quite out of date. But it must be a most economical system,” remarked Fabiola, with a knowing look.
“Ha! you cunning thing!” answered the judge; “so you really think that this may be a saving plan after all? But it won’t be, for we have taken a most desperate resolution.”
“And what on earth is that?” asked the young lady.
“Nothing less than this. We are determined that there shall not be such a thing as a poor person within our reach; this winter we will endeavor to clothe all the naked, and feed the hungry, and attend to all the sick about. All our economy will go for this.”
“It is indeed a very generous, though very new, idea in our times; and no doubt you will be well laughed at for your pains, and abused on all sides. They will even say worse of you than they do now, if it were possible; but it is not.”
“How so?”
“Do not be offended if I tell you; but already they have gone so far as to hint, that possibly you are Christians. But this, I assure you, I have every where indignantly contradicted.”
Chromatius smiled, and said: “Why an indignant contradiction, my dear child?”