world goes against all such as have sinned as Ruth did. She was so young,
too.«
    »You mistake, sir; my acquaintance has not lain so much among that class of
sinners as to give me much experience of the way in which they are treated. But,
judging from what I have seen, I should say they meet with full as much leniency
as they deserve; and supposing they do not - I know there are plenty of sickly
sentimentalists just now who reserve all their interest and regard for criminals
- why not pick out one of these to help you in your task of washing the
blackamoor white? Why choose me to be imposed upon - my household into which to
intrude your protégée? Why were my innocent children to be exposed to
corruption? I say,« said Mr. Bradshaw, stamping his foot, »how dared you come
into this house, where you were looked upon as a minister of religion, with a
lie in your mouth? How dared you single me out, of all people, to be gulled, and
deceived, and pointed at through the town as the person who had taken an
abandoned woman into his house to teach his daughters?«
    »I own my deceit was wrong and faithless.«
    »Yes! you can own it, now it is found out! There is small merit in that, I
think!«
    »Sir! I claim no merit. I take shame to myself. I did not single you out.
You applied to me with your proposal that Ruth should be your children's
governess.«
    »Pah!«
    »And the temptation was too great - no! I will not say that - but the
temptation was greater than I could stand - it seemed to open out a path of
usefulness.«
    »Now, don't let me hear you speak so,« said Mr. Bradshaw, blazing up. »I
can't stand it. It is too much to talk in that way when the usefulness was to
consist in contaminating my innocent girls.«
    »God knows that if I had believed there had been any danger of such
contamination - God knows how I would have died sooner than have allowed her to
enter your family. Mr. Bradshaw, you believe me, don't you?« asked Mr. Benson
earnestly.
    »I really must be allowed the privilege of doubting what you say in future,«
said Mr. Bradshaw, in a cold, contemptuous manner.
    »I have deserved this,« Mr. Benson replied. »But,« continued he