The extraordinary fact which never had seemed at all strange to him before, that he had taken into his house and into his confidence a man of whom he knew nothing, except that he was a returned convict, showed itself all at once to him in the clearest light. Even in his suddenly awakened consciousness of what had happened, he felt that to call the man whom he had thus trusted a returned convict, hurt himself as if it had been a stab. It was on this ground he had made acquaintance with him, because he was a man who had been punished for crime, and might fall into crime again if he were not bolstered up by friendly help and saved from temptation. This was what John had attempted to do, and, lo, here was the result. He came gradually to himself through the hot and painful confusion of this critical moment, and put a few questions to the clerk which left no doubt on the subject. When Mr. Prince’s examination was over, William Barrett turned to the young man, his natural good nature and friendliness modified by the triumph of having gained a complete victory. ‘Sandford,’ he said, ‘I don’t pretend to understand your conduct one way or another. You came back from your holiday before your time, to tell me of this scheme of yours. I neither said nor did anything to discourage you, more than one does naturally to a young man. You were engaged in our work, and bred up in our office: that should have been reason enough against going to any other firm.’ ‘It is a thing which never entered into my mind.’ ‘But it did into your actions, apparently,’ said the junior partner, with a not unnatural sneer. ‘It is what I have expected all along,’ said Mr. Barrett, piously folding his hands. ‘It is what his mother expected, an excellent, much-tried woman, for whose sake----’ ‘Prince, you may go,’ said William Barrett, ‘and, for heaven’s sake, father, stick to the question. Don’t bring in other things which have nothing to do with it.’ John had a great struggle with himself. The foregone conclusion against him with which he had so often been confronted was the one thing which overcame his good sense and self-control. Ever since his grandfather’s death it had been intolerable to him, and it was all he could do to suppress the boiling-over of passionate resistance to this systematic injustice; but with a great effort he restrained himself. He stopped the departing witness with a wave of his hand. ‘Let Prince stay,’ he said, in a choked voice. ‘I think I perceive how all this has occurred. Look here, did your informant say who took the papers to Spender and Diggs? Did he say it was I?’ ‘I don’t know,’ said Prince, ‘that he knew you.’ ‘I have not the least doubt that you asked him who it was. If he did not know me, he must at least have known something about me. Did he say it was I?’