He denied nothing and confessed nothing, and the end of it was--there, again, my misfortune--I got so annoyed to see him leaning back in his chair, with his white hair and everlasting smile, that I got into one of my worst tempers and poured out a regular volley of thunder at him." "Well, and the dean--did he lose his temper ?" asked Rachel.
Worse laughed.

"I might just as well have tried to get a spark out of wood, as to get him to lose his temper.

No; the dean was bland as ever, and when I left he shook my hand, and hoped he might soon have the pleasure of seeing me again.

But afterwards I got well paid out for that visit." "How was that ?" she asked.
"Well, you see, since then I seem to have been under a ban, which shows itself in all sorts of little ways--in business, in society, everywhere.
My mother, poor thing, hears it in her shop from her customers, and it always takes the same annoying form: regret about modern disbelief, and free-thinking, and so on; and I am certain that most people regard it as a stroke of wonderful good luck, that I was prevented in good time from corrupting--yes, no less than corrupting--our noble workpeople.

So I said to myself, 'Since there is such a wide difference between my opinions and those of the people whom I wish to assist, and since my nature is what it is, there is nothing else to be done but for me to keep myself thoroughly occupied with my work, and hold my peace.'" "Peace! Yes, there it is again!" said Rachel.