‘I confess,’ I rejoined, ‘I do not see how any one can take orders, unless he not only loves God with all his heart, but receives the story of the New Testament as a revelation of him, precious beyond utterance. To the man who accepts it so, the calling is the noblest in the world.’ The others were silent, and the conversation turned away. From whatever cause, Home did not go into the Church, but died fighting in India. He soon left us--Charley remaining behind. ‘What a hypocrite I am!’ he exclaimed;--‘following a profession in which I must often, if I have any practice at all, defend what I know to be wrong, and seek to turn justice from its natural course.’ ‘But you can’t always know that your judgment is right, even if it should be against your client. I heard an eminent barrister say once that he had come out of the court convinced by the arguments of the opposite counsel.’ ‘And having gained the case?’ ‘That I don’t know.’ ‘He went in believing his own side anyhow, and that made it all right for him.’ ‘I don’t know that either. His private judgment was altered, but whether it was for or against his client, I do not remember. The fact, however, shows that one might do a great wrong by refusing a client whom he judged in the wrong.’ ‘On the contrary, to refuse a brief on such grounds would be best for all concerned. Not believing in it, you could not do your best, and might be preventing one who would believe in it from taking it up.’ ‘The man might not get anybody to take it up.’ ‘Then there would be little reason to expect that a jury charged under ordinary circumstances would give a verdict in his favour.’ ‘But it would be for the barristers to constitute themselves the judges.’ ‘Yes--of their own conduct--only that. There I am again! The finest ideas about the right thing--and going on all the same, with open eyes running my head straight into the noose! Wilfrid, I’m one of the weakest animals in creation. What if you found at last that I had been deceiving _you_! What would you say?’ ‘Nothing, Charley--to any one else.’ ‘What would you say to yourself, then?’ ‘I don’t know. I know what I should do.’ ‘What?’ ‘Try to account for it, and find as many reasons as I could to justify you. That is, I would do just as you do for every one but yourself.’ He was silent--plainly from emotion, which I attributed to his pleasure at the assurance of the strength of my friendship. ‘Suppose you could find none?’ he said, recovering himself a little. ‘I should still believe there _were_ such. _Tout comprendre c’est tout pardonner_, you know.’ He brightened at this.