From what one hears you are in a fair way to become a Rothschild.
HOFFMANN
[_Flattered._] You do me too much honour--at least, for the present. Who
said that, anyhow? A man sticks to a good thing, and that, naturally,
brings its reward. But who was it said that?
LOTH
It was over there in Jauer. Two gentlemen were conversing at the next
table.
HOFFMANN
Aha! H-m. I have enemies. And what did they have to say?
LOTH
Nothing of importance. But I heard from them that you had retired for the
present to the estate of your parents-in-law.
HOFFMANN
People have a way of finding things out; haven't they? My dear friend,
you'd never believe how a man in my position is spied on at every step.
That's another one of the evils of wealth ... But it is this way, you
see: I'm expecting the confinement of my wife in the quiet and the
healthy air here.
LOTH
What do you do for a physician? Surely in such cases a good physician is
of the highest importance. And here, in this village....
HOFFMANN
Ah, but that's just it! The physician here is an unusually capable one.
And, do you know, I've found this out: in a doctor, conscientiousness
counts for more than genius.
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