"I never taught you otherwise," remarked Hora, "only that all men are thieves, only that the hypocritical many steal under the cloak of the law, and the intellectually honest few pursue their avocation in defiance of the law. Why reproach yourself for intellectual honesty?"
Guy made no reply and Hora plunged into argument. "What is theft? Merely the acquisition of the desirable by unconventional means. Is it a virtue to gratify your desire by the same process as the dull souls that are presumably dignified by the name of common humanity? If so, virtue is a mere synonym for mediocrity. I thought you knew better, Guy. I thought that you had learned that man owes his chief duty to himself, that his desires are meant to be gratified, that the most courageous way of gratifying his desires is the only way for man to attain his highest development."
He pursued the theme with animation. Guy had seated himself, leaning his head on his hand. Hora thought that his attitude was one of deep attention. When he paused for breath Guy spoke:
"It is of no use, Commandatore. I have gone over the same arguments with myself a hundred times, but I can no longer persuade myself that they are anything but sheer sophistry."
Lynton Hora shrugged his shoulders. "I don't understand why your opinions should have undergone so sudden a change."
"And yet you have known a good woman's love?" said Guy suddenly.
The remark stung. Hora's eyes flashed and his lips closed tightly for a few seconds before he trusted himself to speak.
"So that's the explanation," he said at last. "I thought as much. A woman is responsible for every man's folly, and you like the rest are ready to abuse your intellect at the bidding of some muling miss whose intelligence will never allow her to discern the asses' ears which adorn the image of the great divinity convention which she worships in common with the majority of her feeble-minded fellows. Who is this wonder who has robbed you of the use of your brains? Am I right in guessing that she is of the family of that prince of hypocrites, Marven? I can see I am right. And for one of that brood you will cut yourself adrift from me, clothe yourself in the ready-made fustian of the dull herd! An honest woman's love! There was never an honest woman to be found amongst the Challys or Marvens——"
His anger had carried him out of himself, and too late Hora perceived that his virulent tongue had said too much.
Guy had drawn himself up, pale with anger.