And presently he
continued:
"'We in this room are men of enlightenment. We are satisfied to leave
past and future to speculations of idle dreamers. For us the present.
So we attach no value to the fact that Feisul is descended in a straight
line from the founder of the Moslem faith; for that is a superstition
as foolish in its way as Christianity or any other creed. But who is
there like Feisul who can unite all Arabs under one banner?'
"They answered, sahib, that Feisul is the only living man who can
accomplish that, making many assertions in his praise, Yussuf Dakmar
nodding approval as each spoke. 'Yet,' said he when they had finished,
'Feisul is also fallible. In certain ways he is a fool, and principally
in this: That he insists on keeping his own promises to men who have
broken their own promises to him.' And like pupils in a class who recite
their lesson, they all murmured that such a course as that is madness.
"'So,' said he, 'we are clear on that point. We are not altruists, nor
religious fanatics, nor slaves, but men of common sense who have a
business in view. We are not Feisul's servants, but he ours. We make
use of him, not he of us.
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