It would be easy for me to bring you every evening four hampers of game if you would give me only two baskets of vegetables." At these words Robinson and Friday stepped on one side, to have a consultation, and the debate which followed is too interesting not to be given _in extenso_: _Friday._ Friend, what do you think of it?
_Robinson._ If we accept we are ruined.
_Friday._ Is that certain?
Calculate! _Robinson._ It is all calculated.

Hunting, crushed out by competition, will be a lost branch of industry for us.
_Friday._ What difference does that make, if we have the game?
_Robinson._ Theory! It will not be the product of our labor.
_Friday._ Yes, it will, since we will have to give vegetables to get it.
_Robinson._ Then what shall we make?
_Friday._ The four hampers of game cost us six hours' labor.

The stranger gives them to us for two baskets of vegetables, which take us but three hours.

Thus three hours remain at our disposal.
_Robinson._ Say rather that they are taken from our activity.

There is our loss.