Men like you, who have a strong influence over
him, may lead him away, but in the end a man like that will come to give
his life to the service of society. You should help him; not assume an
attitude of unbelief and laugh at him."
Sam stood upon the hearth smoking his pipe and looking at her. He was
thinking how easy it would have been in the first year after their
marriage to have explained Morrison. Now he felt that he was but making a
bad matter worse, but went on determined to stick to his policy of being
entirely honest with her.
"Look here, Sue," he began quietly, "be a good sport. Morrison was joking.
I know the man. He is the friend of men like me because he wants to be and
because it pays him to be. He is a talker, a writer, a talented,
unscrupulous word-monger. He is making a big salary by taking the ideas of
men like me and expressing them better than we can ourselves. He is a good
workman and a generous, open-hearted fellow with a lot of nameless charm
in him, but a man of convictions he is not. He could talk tears into the
eyes of your fallen women, but he would be a lot more likely to talk good
women into their state."
Sam put a hand upon her shoulder.
"Be sensible and do not be offended," he went on: "take the fellow for
what he is and be glad for him.
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