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"I have been reading," he said slowly, "reading a speech of the new Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs I cannot understand the temper of mind which it illustrates He talks of the Bosnian war, and a brave people struggling for freedoame A man of that sort cannot understand a moral purpose"

"Tommy--I mean to say Mr Wratislaw--doesn't believe in Bosnian freedom, but you know he is a most ardent moralist"

"I do not understand," said Mr Wishart drily

"I mean that personally he is a Puritan, a man who tries every action of his life by a moral standard But he believes that moral standards vary with circumstances"

"Pernicious stuff, sir There is one moral law There is one Table of Commandments"

"But surely you e of the occasion You do not believe that 'Thou shalt not kill' is absolute in every case?"

"I mean that except in the God-appointed necessity of war, and in the serving of crioes travelling," said Leith abstracted eyes, "and has a lot of native servants They mutiny, and he shoots down one or two He saves his life, he serves, probably, the ends of civilization Do you call that murder?"

"Assuredly Better, far better that he should perish in the wilderness than that he should take the law into his own hands and kill one of God's creatures"

"But law, you know, is not an absolute word"

Mr Wishart scented danger "I can't argue against your subtleties, but my mind is clear; and I can respect no man who could think otherwise"

Lewis reddened and looked appealingly at Alice She, too, was unco when stated dogmatically by her father

Mr Stocks saw his chance and took it

"Did you ever happen to be in such a crisis as you speak of, Mr Haystoun? You have travelled a great deal"

"I have never had occasion to put ato avoid it

"But you have had difficulties?"

"Once I had to flog a couple of ood"

"Irrational violence seldo to say, it was a clear case where the men should have been put to death They had deserved it, for they had disobeyed me, and by their disobedience caused the death of several innocent people They decaed to block our path I bla them"