to say a fool. You think yourself just and uncorruptible, and upon the will of those two women you could be led into any injustice or weakness.
Don Lorenzo. No, Tomás. When I am sustained by principle my will is iron.
Dr. Tomás. I don't say 'we shall see,' because they are both angels—but, alas! if they were other! Permit me to parody the great poet, and exclaim with him: 'Temptation, thy name is woman!'
Don Lorenzo. [Energetically.] 'Words, words, words,' he said before that, doubtless, in prescience of the parody.
Dr. Tomás. There you are, up on the rostrum already.
Inés. Don't tease papa.
Don Lorenzo. The doctor's sallies don't annoy me, child.
Dr. Tomás. This is where we stand—that for affection, for friendship, for love, for what you call the mysterious attraction of one soul for another, we can and should arrive at
Don Lorenzo. Even sacrifice—yes. But never do wrong.
Dr. Tomás. A pretty maxim for a book on morality.
Don Lorenzo. A still better one for the conscience.
Dr. Tomás. And are there no cases in which, to prevent greater misfortunes, one may compromise with this Cato's conscience, for just a little, a very little fault, hardly as big as a grain of sand?
Don Lorenzo. Once accepted, your grain would quickly weigh as heavily as a mountain of granite.
Dr. Tomás. Now, you are up the mountains. The rostrum does not suffice.
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