"Nonsense!" she exclaimed.
"He is not a bad man. I know. The whole of his unpopularity had its
foundation in that one thing--the thing that made so much noise."
"That 'one thing,' indeed! As if that 'one thing' wasn't enough, all by
itself."
"Plenty. Plenty. Only he wasn't guilty of it."
"How you talk! Not guilty of it! Everybody knows he _was_ guilty."
"Mary, I give you my word--he was innocent."
"I can't believe it and I don't. How do you know?"
"It is a confession. I am ashamed, but I will make it. I was the only
man who knew he was innocent. I could have saved him, and--and--well,
you know how the town was wrought up--I hadn't the pluck to do it. It
would have turned everybody against me. I felt mean, ever so mean; ut I
didn't dare; I hadn't the manliness to face that."
Mary looked troubled, and for a while was silent. Then she said
stammeringly:
"I--I don't think it would have done for you to--to--One
mustn't--er--public opinion--one has to be so careful--so--" It was a
difficult road, and she got mired; but after a little she got started
again. "It was a great pity, but--Why, we couldn't afford it, Edward--we
couldn't indeed.
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