this," retorted the Judge: "That to the best of my poor ability
I strive to conduct myself according to the teaching of the Christian
faith." (The Judge, like Charlotte, always became Johnsonian when
righteously wrathful.) "The Founder of that Faith pronounced once for
all upon the question that you refer to as a 'little lapse.' He said:
'He that looketh upon a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery
with her already in his heart.'"

The blood beat into Loring's face. He looked away from the other's
contemptuous eyes. He was too dumfounded to feel resentful at the
moment. Somehow it never occurred to him to doubt the Judge's perfect
sincerity. He was dumfounded just because he believed in it. Here was
actually a man who looked upon strict faithfulness in marriage as
onerous on both sexes.

There is no one so fiercely chaste as the Southerner who believes in the
sanctity of marriage. "Philandering" is not admitted in his code. He
would call it by a plainer and a coarser name.

When Loring had recovered his wits, he apologised profusely and meekly.
But the interview was not a success. The Judge was now too frankly on
Sophy's side in the matter. He thought the whole situation deeply to be
deplored, but he gave, as his judicial opinion, that in such cases the
process of "patching up" was never successful.

Loring left the study, humiliated and downcast. He realised that he had
not only lost Sophy's love but the friendship of a man whom he really
valued. Somehow, though he tried to jeer at the Judge for a
narrow-minded old fossil who had never known the true fire of manhood,
he could not actually do so. Something in him knew that the old
Virginian was every inch a man. The strength of his passions was
apparent in his dark, powerful face. But these passions had been curbed
by a principle--an ideal. And, drearily enough, Loring began to wonder
less at Sophy's present attitude. It was from the loins of men like this
that she had sprung. She came of a race that required chastity in
husbands as well as in wives. What made it all so overwhelming was that
Loring knew well that he "had committed adultery already in his heart."
It was as though his spirit were being arraigned by these people. That
he had only kissed a woman made no difference to them. To them it was
adultery in the heart....

* * * * *

When he had been at Sweet-Waters a week, something happened that
absolutely staggered