"A thousand pounds," he said, "is, I suppose, a great deal of money. I
have never owned so much in my life. But money, after all, is only
valuable for what it can buy. Each one of my beans means two months,
perhaps more, of real life. No money could buy that."
"My young friend," the professor insisted solemnly, "you are looking at
this matter from a selfish point of view. Experiences such as you have
passed through, belong to the world. You are merely the agent, the
fortunate medium, through which they have materialized."
Burton shrugged his shoulders.
"So far," he replied, "I owe no debt to humanity. The longer I live and
the wiser I get, the more I realize the absolute importance of
self-care. Individualism is the only real and logical creed. No one
else looks after your interests. No one else in the world save yourself
is of any real account."
"A thousand pounds," Mr. Bomford interposed, "is a great deal of money
for a young man in your position."
"It is a very great deal," Burton admitted. "But what you and Mr.
Cowper both seem to forget is the very small part that money plays in
the acquisition of real happiness. Money will not buy the joy which
makes life worth living, it will not buy the power to appreciate, the
power to discriminate.
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