Could she not find some excuse for him, something
which she might use as her own silent defence of him in the years
that were to come?
"Do you think Garry was out of his mind, Jack? He's been so
depressed lately?" she asked, all her sympathy in her voice.
"No, my blessed, I don't think so. Everybody is more or less
insane who succumbs to a crisis. Garry believed absolutely in
himself and his luck, and when the cards went against him he
collapsed. And yet he was no more a criminal at heart than I am.
But that is all over now. He has his punishment, poor boy, and it
is awful when you think of it. How he could bring himself to prove
false to his trust is the worst thing about it. This is a queer
world, my darling, in which we live. I never knew much about it
until lately. It is not so at home, or was not when I was a boy--
but here you can take away a man's character, rob him of his home,
corrupt his children. You can break your wife's heart, be cruel,
revengeful; you can lie and be tricky, and no law can touch you--
in fact, you are still a respectable citizen.
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