The tone of the note struck even John Marvel and he immediately brought
it over to me. We both agreed that the doctor must have read the account
of the raid on Madam Snow's and of his presence there when the officers
arrived, and we decided that, notwithstanding the curtness of the
summons, it was due to John himself to go and make a simple statement of
the matter. We felt indeed that the interview might result in awakening
the living interest of Dr. Capon in the work on which we had embarked
and securing the co-operation not only of himself but of the powerful
organization which he represented as rector of a large church. Dr. Capon
was not a difficult man; in his own way, which was the way of many
others, he tried to do good. He was only a worldly man and a narrow man.
He felt that his mission was to the rich. He knew them better than the
poor and liked them better. The poor had so much done for them, why
should not he look after the rich? Like Simon, he believed that there
was a power in money which was unlimited.
At 11.30 promptly John Marvel presented himself in the front room of the
building attached to the church, in one corner of which was the rector's
roomy office. A solemn servant was in waiting who took in his name,
closing the door silently behind him, and after a minute returned and
silently motioned John Marvel to enter. Dr. Capon was seated at his desk
with a number of newspapers before him, and in response to John's "Good
morning," he simply said, "Be seated," with a jerk of his head toward a
chair which was placed at a little distance from him, and John took the
seat, feeling, as he afterward told me, much as he used to feel when a
small boy, when he was called up by a teacher and set down in a chair
for a lecture. The rector shuffled his newspapers in a sudden little
accession of excitement, taking off his gold-rimmed glasses and putting
them on again, and then taking up one, he turned to John.
"Mr. Marvel, I am astonished at you--I am simply astounded that you
should have so far forgotten yourself and what was due to your orders as
to have done what I read in this sheet and what the whole press is
ringing with."
"Well, sir," said John, who had by this time gotten entire control of
himself, and felt completely at ease in the consciousness of his
innocence and of his ability to prove it. "I am not surprised that you
should be astounded unless you knew the facts of the case."
"What facts, sir?" demanded Dr. Capon sternly. "Facts! There is but one
fact to be considered--that you have violated a fundamental canon."
"Yes, I knew it would look so, and I had intended to come yesterday to
consult you as to the best method----"
"It is a pity you had not done so--that you allowed your sense of duty
to be so obscured as to forget what was due alike to me and to your
sacred vows."
"But I was very much engaged," pursued John, "with matters that appeared
to me of much greater importance than anything relating to my poor
self."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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