"You are a trifle too general," objected Constable. "You forget the object he may have in changing his name. Is it honest, or is it not?"
"Honest!" retorted the Captain. "Does not the very fact answer for itself. A false name! much honesty there is in that."
"As much as can be said," returned Constable, "is that it puts him under suspicion, if known. But, if it be not known, and if the man conduct himself properly, under his new name, I, for one, would not care."
"Would not care because you would not know!" laughed Herford. "It would be otherwise, if you knew."
"If I knew he was a criminal, yes—if I knew he had changed his name for some other reason, it would not. In this new country, we have to take men for what they are worth, as men—we cannot look too closely into motives, so long as they do not hide a crime."
"Do either of you know a case in point?" asked Snowden.
"No!" said Herford.
"Nor I," said Constable; "however, I am very ready to believe there are instances right around us."
"Among our friends?"