quarrel, he had the tenacity of a bull-dog, he held on to the hard
purpose he had formed and nothing could beat him off.

And that is the very highest sort of courage, the courage that
endures, that has no show or heroics about it. Again I say, if he
had done all this, put up with all this, to gain riches, to make a
name for himself, the world would understand and would praise him
tremendously. It is his motive that leaves the world cold, it is the
source and reason of his courage that the world cannot understand.

Yet he was not obstinate and pig-headed, bound to do as he wished
just because he wished it. No, he was very sensible and did
everything with reason. He would not stop saying his prayers when
Bilinski and Paul objected, he would not join in gay dinners and
drinking-bouts and gambling, he would not sit and smile at shady
stories or smutty wit. He would no? do anything his conscience
forbade. But he was most ready to do anything else they wanted.

For instance, he had been used to give his rich clothes away to the
poor, and dress very simply. Bilinski and Paul insisted on his
dressing as became his rank, and he yielded readily. Bilinski
wanted him to take dancing lessons, and he took them, and learned to
dance very well. He was not keen about any of these things, because
he reckoned they would not count for much in eternity. But neither
was he foolish, nor a fanatic, nor one who saw evil where no evil
was. He was simply a level-headed boy, who figured out the business
of life clearly and convincingly, and who had the courage of a hero
in living up to his convictions.