it.
Poor, silly fellow! I am sure I wish him well. I always liked him."

"Suppose he robs his present employer?"

"He won't do that, I'm certain. He is too much ashamed of his
conduct while in my store. It is a lesson to him. And, at any rate,
I do not think a man should be hunted down for a single fault."

"No: of course not. But, when you endorse a man's character, you
lead others to place confidence in him; a confidence that may be
betrayed under very aggravated circumstances."

"Better that many suffer, than that one innocent man should be
condemned and cast off."

"But there is no question about guilt or innocence. It was fully
proved that this young man robbed you."

"Suppose it was. No doubt the temptation was very strong. I don't
believe he will ever be guilty of such a thing again."

"You have the best evidence in the world that he will, in the fact
that he has taken your money."

"O no, not at all. It doesn't follow, by any means, that a fault
like this will be repeated. He was terribly mortified about it. That
has cured him, I am certain."

"I wouldn't trust to it."

"You are too uncharitable," replied Mr. May. "For my part, I always
look upon the best side of a man's character. There is good in every
one. Some have their weaknesses--some are even led astray at times;
but none are altogether bad. If a man falls, help him up, and start
him once more fair in the world--who can say that he will again
trip? Not I. The fact is, we are too hard with each other. If you
brand your fellow with infamy for one little act of indiscretion,
or, say crime, what hope is there for him."

"You go rather too far, Mr. May," the neighbor said, "in your
condemnation of the world. No doubt there are many who are really
uncharitable in their denunciations of their fellow man for a single
fault. But, on the other side, I am inclined to think, that there
are just as many who are equally uncharitable, in loosely passing
by, out of spurious kindness, what should mark a man with just
suspicion, and cause a withholding of confidence. Look at the case
now before us. You feel unwilling to keep a young man about you,
because he has betrayed your trust, and yet, out of kind feelings,
you give him a good character, and enable him to get a situation
where he may seriously wrong an unsuspecting man."

"But I am sure he will not do so."

"But what is your guarantee?"

"The impression that my act has evidently made upon him. If