Trood snorted and called Pinhey a fool; but Trenchard spoke gently to him.
“I admire your clean and resolute religious views of life, if I don’t always share them,” he answered; “but we mustn’t be self-righteous, Nick, and we mustn’t think our own standard of conduct covers all the ground. You wait till we know more about it. Sin’s like conscience, a matter of education, Nicholas, and what’s sin in one man is no sin at all in another. We mustn’t fling the first stone too readily, because few of us have got the judicial mind, or the impartial and unprejudiced outlook, or the knowledge of the facts that belong, or ought to belong, to the judgment seat.”
“We can all read the Scriptures,” answered Mr. Pinhey firmly, “and if our judgment is founded on the Word, Mr. Trenchard, it is founded on the Rock of Ages, with Whom is no shadow of turning. And I don’t say I’ll stop under the same roof as an adulterer, I don’t indeed.”
“You’ll do your duty, Nicholas; I’m sure of that,” answered the other, and Pinhey, sighing profoundly, went his way.
“There’s no fool like a pious fool,” said Trood scornfully, “and I hope to Heaven you’ll let Kellock stop. Beatermen, like Dingle, are got again, but such vatmen as Jordan Kellock are not.”
“I know that mighty well, Ernest, and just for that reason we must look sharp into it and not let self-interest bend us into anything wrong. With some men I’d fire them on a job like this and have no more words about it; but Kellock’s different. He’s honourable, so far as my experience goes, and scrupulous in small things—a straight man every way. He has himself well in hand and he’s got ambitions. He would hardly have done such a grave thing as this on foolish impulse. But I don’t want to be prejudiced for him any more than against him. I’ll leave it till I’ve heard Ned.”
“And don’t you let Dingle turn you from him,” begged Ernest. “It stands to reason that Dingle won’t have much good to say of him. Whatever he feels in secret, he must curse Kellock openly. In my opinion you ought to hear Kellock also on his own defence, before you sack him.”
“Perhaps I ought; and perhaps I will,” answered the other. “I shan’t lose Kellock if it’s in right and reason to keep him. Send Ned to me after dinner at one o’clock.”