But if it has not been--and you
know how it stands--do not commit your fate to me, for I will
abandon you the moment I discover that you have been guilty of
deliberate wrong to others."
The countenance of Mr. Dewey fell, and he seemed to shudder back
into himself. For some time he was silent.
"If there is a foregone conclusion in your mind, that settles the
matter," he said, at length, in a disappointed tone.
"All I ask is clear evidence, Mr. Dewey. Foregone conclusions have
nothing to do with the matter," replied Mr. Wallingford, "If you
know yourself to be innocent, you may trust yourself in my hands; if
not, I counsel you to look beyond me to some other man."
"All men are liable to do wrong, Mr. Wallingford; and religion
teaches that the door of repentance is open to every one."
"True, but the just punishment of wrong is always needed for a
salutary repentance. The contrition that springs from fear of
consequences, is not genuine repentance. If you have done wrong, you
must take the penalty in some shape, and I am not the man knowingly
to stay the just progression of either moral or civil law.
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