Involuntarily I thought of my new house,—not a soothing reflection.

“But who is going to decree how much property, a man should have?”

“Nobody—everybody. That will gradually tend to work itself out as we become more sensible and better educated, and understand more clearly what is good for us.”

I retorted with the stock, common-sense phrase.

“If we had a division to-morrow, within a few years or so the most efficient would contrive to get the bulk of it back in their hands.”

“That's so,” he admitted. “But we're not going to have a division to-morrow.”

“Thank God!” I exclaimed.

He regarded me.

“The 'efficient' will have to die or be educated first. That will take time.”

“Educated!”