'I think I can answer for that.'
'Then do tell me why, when you are just going away and cannot carry it on, you should have done what you did last night?'
'As I am just going away, don't you see, it was my only chance.'
'But I do not understand why you did it. You knew it would be something like an earthquake; and what is the use of earthquakes?'
'You remember the Eastern theory—Burmese, is it? or Siamese?—according to which the world rests on the heads of four elephants; when one of the elephants shakes his head, there is an earthquake. But must not the elephant therefore move his head?'
'But the world does not rest on your head.'
'I do not forget that,' said Pitt gravely. 'Not the world, but a small piece of it does rest on my head, as on that of every other human creature. On the right position and right movement of every one of us depends more than we know. What we have to do is to keep straight and go straight.'
'But did you think it was duty to do what you did last night?'
'I did it in that faith.'
'I wish you would explain to me!' cried the lady. 'I cannot understand. I believe you, of course; but why did you think it duty? It just raised a storm; you know it did; they did not like it; and it would only make them more opposed to your new principles. I do not see how it could do any good.'