“Deceive not thyself, nor excuse thy own sloth by talking about Fate!” exclaimed Nihál Chand. “If, when thou wert preparing thy meal, a tiger were to steal upon thee, wouldst thou quietly sit still and say,—‘If it be my destiny, I shall eat this dinner;’ or, ‘If it be my destiny, the tiger will eat me’? No,” continued Nihál Chand with much animation; “thou wouldst start up, snatch the nearest weapon, and struggle for life like a man. Even so, with courage and resolution, press on for the prize set before thee.”