"What do you live for, Mr. Herder?" said Elizabeth, giving
Rufus's words a cool go-by.
"I? — O I live to do my work," said the naturalist.
"And what is that?"
"I live to find out the truth — to get at de truth. It is for that I spend my days and my nights. I have found out some — I will find out more."
"And what is the purpose of finding out this truth, Mr. Herder?" said Rufus; — "what is that for? doesn't that make you happy?"
"No," said the naturalist with a serious air, — "it does not make me happy. I must find it out — since it is there — and I could not be happy if I did not find it; — but if dere was no truth to be found, I could make myself more happy in some ozer way."
The fine corners of the young man's mouth shewed that he thought Mr. Herder was a little confused in his philosophy.
"You think one ought to live to be happy, don't you, Mr. Rufus?" said Miss Rose.
"No!" said Rufus, with a fire in his eye and lip, and making at the same time an energetic effort after a difficult branch of huckleberries, — "no! — not in the ordinary way!"
"In what way then?" said the young lady with her favourite pout.