"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?" "Hardly!" laughed Constable. "I do not mean among those we know, but among those we do not know. Though, for the matter of that, if we go back a generation or two, it might apply to us, also. How do you know, Herford, that your out-coming ancestor did not change his name?" "Do you mean to imply----" "Now, do not get excited--we are arguing an abstract question----" "Which you have turned into a personal question." "Then I will change it. How do I know, that the original Constable, in America, did not go under some other name in England.--I don't--you don't--no one knows. We take each other on faith, the only difference with us is, that the faith extends back over a generation or two." He glanced around him. Miss Marbury was not in hearing. "There is old Marbury, for instance. He is new. How do we know his name is Marbury? He says it is--so far as we are informed, he has always said it is, but we do not _know_. We take him on faith. We take almost every one on faith. Is it not so, Parkington?" "Undoubtedly," was the answer. "The only advantage we, of England, have is a few more generations." "A few more generations!" exclaimed Herford. "You, who have them can afford to be indifferent. It is we, who have only one, or two, or, at the most, three who have to be careful." "I do not quite grasp your point," said Parkington. "It is plain as I can make it," was the retort. "That may be true," returned Parkington, with an amused smile, "but, nevertheless, I fail to comprehend." "Take your time to it, then," Herford answered, with a shrug, "it will come to you, presently," and he sauntered away to join Miss Stirling, whose laugh was heard toward the house. "Parkington," said Constable, "you are very considerate.--We know Herford and his way, and do not take offense, but you have no reason for holding off."