CHAPTER 37"Very well," I replied, "very well, Madame, but let's spend amoment reasoning in terms of your own principles: what right haveyou to require that my conscience be as impregnable as yours whensince childhood it has not been accustomed to vanquishing the sameprejudices? By what title do you require that my mind, which is notconstituted like your own, be able to adopt the same systems? Youacknowledge sums of good and evil in Nature, you admit that, inconsequence, there must be a certain quantity of beings whopractice good and another group which devotes itself to evil; thecourse I elect is hence natural; therefore, how would you be ableto demand that I take leave of the rules Nature prescribes to me ?You say you find happiness in the career you pursue; very well,Madame, why should i
