Not that I'm the least afraid of
making an ass of myself. I should never do that under any
circumstances. But because I have a conscience and I am afraid of
doing a grave injustice, I am going to convince myself first of all
that this fellow Simpkins really deserves to be killed. I admit the
force of all you said about him last night, especially that part about
the heating of the church; but it's a serious thing to condemn a man to
death. It's a thing that you can't undo again once you've done it. I
must see the man myself before I take any further steps."
"You can't have him here, J. J. He's a horrid little cad, and I won't
have him inside this house."
"I'm not asking you to, at present. Later on if it becomes necessary
in the interests of justice to patch up some appearance of a
reconciliation between you and him I shall, of course, ask him here;
but in the meanwhile--"
"You may entertain him yourself, if you do."
"I may. But that won't deter me from doing my duty. You haven't had
the education in philosophy and literature, Major, that you ought to
have had; but the years that you spent in the army ought to have taught
you that no amount of unpleasantness should prevent a man doing his
duty.
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