And if God and my dead hand had not defended him, he would have become a suicide and you knew it not--wherefore ?'"-- The young man trembled at these words, he grew even paler than before and gazed with a look of stupefaction at his chief.

Then the old man approached him, and took him by the hand as if he would say: "I am going to scold you, but fear nothing.

I am on your side." "My dear Szilard," said he, "don't you recollect that when you were a little child and did anything you should not have done, and your father questioned you about it, did he not always say to you: 'when you have done wrong and are ashamed to confess it, keep silence! press your teeth together! but don't lie, don't deny it, never think of taking refuge behind any false excuse, for your name is Szilard,[3] and cowardice does not become the bearer of such a name!' You understood him.

You acted as he would have had you act.

And now I also would remind you once more that you were christened Szilard and I ask you therefore to listen calmly to what I am about to say to you.