9/14 I knew myself--and became a wiser and better man. I called all my creditors together, discharged my debts, and found myself free of the world in the most liberal sense. "How could you bear such a dreadful reverse with such fortitude--such magnanimity ?" "You give me greater credit than I deserve, Geoffrey: my imprudent conduct merited a severe punishment, and I had sense enough to discern that it was just. After the first shock was over, I felt happier in my poverty than I had ever done during my unmerited prosperity. I had abused the gifts of fortune while they were mine, and I determined to acquire an independence by my own exertions. |