‘Yes—of their own conduct—only that. There I am again! The finest ideas about the right thing—and going on all the same, with open eyes running my head straight into the noose! Wilfrid, I’m one of the weakest animals in creation. What if you found at last that I had been deceiving you! What would you say?’
‘Nothing, Charley—to any one else.’
‘What would you say to yourself, then?’
‘I don’t know. I know what I should do.’
‘What?’
‘Try to account for it, and find as many reasons as I could to justify you. That is, I would do just as you do for every one but yourself.’
He was silent—plainly from emotion, which I attributed to his pleasure at the assurance of the strength of my friendship.
‘Suppose you could find none?’ he said, recovering himself a little.
‘I should still believe there were such. Tout comprendre c’est tout pardonner, you know.’
He brightened at this.