We dare not teach them otherwise, for fear they may falter in the fight when it comes their turn, and the children of others will crowd them out of the palace into the poor-house.

If we felt sure that honest work shared by all would bring them honest food shared by all, some heroic few of us, who did not wish our children to rise above their fellows--though we could not bear to have them fall below--might trust them with the truth.

But we have no such assurance, and so we go on trembling before Dryfooses and living in gimcrackeries." "Basil, Basil! I was always willing to live more simply than you.

You know I was!" "I know you always said so, my dear.

But how many bell-ratchets and speaking-tubes would you be willing to have at the street door below?
I remember that when we were looking for a flat you rejected every building that had a bell-ratchet or a speaking-tube, and would have nothing to do with any that had more than an electric button; you wanted a hall-boy, with electric buttons all over him.