human
I'm probably coming down with brain fever, he told himself; and he had a happy moment of thinking how wretched everybody would be when he died. Elizabeth would be _very_ wretched! David felt a wave of comfort, and on the impulse of expected death, he turned toward home again.... However, if he should by any chance recover, marriage was not for him. It occurred to him that this would be a bitter surprise to Elizabeth, whose engagement would of course be broken as soon as she heard of his illness; and again he felt happier. No, he would never marry. He would give his life to his profession--it had long ago been decided that David was to be a doctor. But it would be a lonely life. He looked ahead and saw himself a great physician--no common doctor, like that old Doctor King who came sometimes to see his mother; but a great man, dying nobly in some awful epidemic. When Elizabeth heard of his magnificent courage, she'd feel pretty badly. Rather different from Blair. How much finer than to be merely looking forward to a lot of money that somebody else had made! But perhaps that was why Elizabeth liked Blair; because he was going to have money? And yet, how could she compare Blair with,--well, _any_ fellow who meant to work his own way? Here David touched bottom abruptly.
gpt
How can a fellow take money he hasn't earned?