360 THE WATCH-TOWER OF KOAT-VEN." 



truly. You do not say so ! I am charmed with this reason. You 

 do not say so ! That is all that is wanting to complete the abuse, 

 eh ! truly ; but I suppose you do say so, and then would I treat you 

 as you deserve as '' " But as I do not say so, brother." " There you 

 go again ; you see you oppose me continually ; pure obstinacy on 

 your part, rage for discussion, for dispute. What! you want "to 

 commence again. I tell you that I suppose so, starting with a sup- 

 position, surely I may tell you that you are in the wrong, that you 

 mistake the authority which you arrogate over me, that that " 

 Therefore, starting with a supposition, Rumphius gave free course to 

 his humour, in the hope of exciting the anger or tears of Sulpice ; but 

 the poor brother, seeing that he had started with merely a supposi- 

 tion, was not to be moved, and just at the moment when Rumphius, 

 quite out of breath, was terminating his philippic with the words, 

 " You are a wicked brother, a Judas," in expectation of a bitter 

 reply, he answered with a smile, and with the most innocent calmness, 

 " That is to say, you suppose that I am a Judas ; for we commenced 

 with a supposition, brother, and you know how much I love you." 



The astronomer was silent ; the passion which was already chasing 

 the tardy globules in their course was suddenly checked. This an- 

 swer cast ice upon the glowing furnace. He must begin again, and 

 would certainly have choaked with disappointment had he not found 

 means to resume the attack. 



u By the way, Sulpice," said he, what were you telling me of the 

 Mercure de France ?" " They praise you highly, brother, for your 

 labours on the astronomy of India.'' The astronomer breathed again. 

 " Well, then," said he to Sulpice, " you will not deny, I hope, that 

 the portrait of the genuine Gorou [of the sect of Siva is, as I have 

 declared and proved besides, drawn from the Vedanta Sara.'' " No, 

 brother ; but you know that I am too ignorant of your learning to 

 understand at all the nature of these sciences, and that " " Pshaw ! 

 eternal waywardness you know it just as well as I do, but the desire 

 for opposition misleads you. Now, according to the Vedanta Sara, 

 the genuine Gorou is he who has seen Gocarnam and Calestry with 

 his own eyes. But behold he is nothing but a scoundrel, a villain, a 

 vagabond, says the Pringuery to Gocarnam and Calestry. This 

 scoundrel, this villain, this vagabond, [is Hoetquel, who pretends to 

 prove the heresy by means of the Tamular Grammar of father Bres- 

 chio. But answer me then, Sulpice you stand there immovable ! 

 You see Hoetquel insult me, contradict me, and you take not my 

 part You are perhaps delighted ? Ah ! I see you are pleased 

 very well." 



" Hoetquel is certainly in the wrong, as far as I can see," answered 

 Sulpice quickly, willing to say any thing to conciliate the views of 

 Rumphius, and knowing how exasperated he became on the bare 

 mention of the name of his learned antagonist, whom Rumphius 

 hated with that inflexible intensity which often exists between phi- 

 losophers holding opposite opinions, " Hoetquel is in the wrong.'' 



*' Hoetquel in the wrong ! Not at all. He is perfectly right as far 

 as the Vedanta is concerned." " I mistook the question, then, bro- 

 ther," sighed Sulpice ; "Hoetquel is right." 



