Dempsi shuddered appropriately.
“Ah, it is fine work! Have you brought many men to justice? I see you have, but it is too painful to talk about. I understand your fine feelings—you are worthy.”
“Well, I’ve brought them to the County Court,” said Julius. “That’s not exactly to justice. People who can’t pay their bills and owe tradesmen money.”
The other regarded him in awe.
“I wonder you can sleep at night,” he said in a hushed voice.
Julius smiled callously. He suggested thereby that the ruin of small litigants meant less to him than the indubitable fact that flies have corns and suffer from asthma.
“They never get on my mind,” he said; “and as for sleeping—I’m a pretty good sleeper; nothing disturbs me.”
He hoped, at any rate, that nothing would disturb him that night, for he was sleeping on a made-up bed in The Study. It was Diana’s idea and he viewed all Diana’s ideas with a suspicion which was, it must be confessed, justifiable.
“Ah, a good conscience!” said Dempsi. “What a beautiful thing!”
Mr. Superbus wasn’t sure whether this admirable characteristic of his was due entirely to conscience.