"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because he is a villain."
"But if you hated him from the first, you hated him before you found out that he was a villain; and that was snap judgment. I try a man before I condemn him."
"And I let a man condemn himself, and some men do this the minute I see them."
"But a quick judgment is nearly always wrong."
"Yes, and yet it's better than a slow judgment that allows itself to be imposed upon."
"Sometimes," Witherspoon agreed; and after a short silence he added: "I was just thinking of how that fellow imposed on me, but I can't quite get at the cause of my worry over him, and I don't understand why I should have been afraid that he could ruin me. I want to ask you something, and I want you to tell me the exact truth without fear of giving offense: Have you ever thought that at times my mind was unbalanced? Have you?"
"You haven't been well, and a sick man's mind is never sound, you know."
"That's all true enough; but do I remind you very much of your uncle Andrew?"