"And filth I did not eat, but I swallowed many a mouthful of reason."
"But did any one of those mouthfuls tell you that I considered slavery a God-ordained institution?"
"Not you especially, but you belong to a caste."
"Still I am no fool. Who gave the slaves to Rome? Conquest. What led to conquest? Physical superiority. And wasn't there a grandeur in that? And is not a grandeur almost a sacred thing?"
Now here was an argument and it might have been prolonged, but at that moment there came a tap at the door. Master cried an invitation to come in, and Mr. Clem entered.
"What are you boys talking so loud about?" he inquired, taking a chair and putting his feet upon the table. "Didn't know but you might be trying to swap horses."
"An exchange of night mares," Bob replied, reaching over and moving his inkstand.
"That's all right, but do you make him stand up all the time?" Mr. Clem asked, nodding at me.
Bob laughed. "He can sit down if he wants to."