Y.M. Where was it?
O.M. Ambushed behind your born temperament, and waiting for a chance.
Your native warm temper suddenly jumped to the front, and FOR THE MOMENT
its influence was more powerful than your mother's, and abolished it. In
that instance you were eager to flash out a hot rebuke and enjoy it. You
did enjoy it, didn't you?
Y.M. For--for a quarter of a second. Yes--I did.
O.M. Very well, it is as I have said: the thing which will give you the
MOST pleasure, the most satisfaction, in any moment or FRACTION of a
moment, is the thing you will always do. You must content the Master's
LATEST whim, whatever it may be.
Y.M. But when the tears came into the old servant's eyes I could have
cut my hand off for what I had done.
O.M. Right. You had humiliated YOURSELF, you see, you had given
yourself PAIN. Nothing is of FIRST importance to a man except results
which damage HIM or profit him--all the rest is SECONDARY. Your Master
was displeased with you, although you had obeyed him. He required a
prompt REPENTANCE; you obeyed again; you HAD to--there is never any
escape from his commands. He is a hard master and fickle; he changes his
mind in the fraction of a second, but you must be ready to obey, and you
will obey, ALWAYS. If he requires repentance, you content him, you will
always furnish it. He must be nursed, petted, coddled, and kept
contented, let the terms be what they may.
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