case?"

"I mean that except in the God-appointed necessity of war, and in the
serving of criminal justice, killing is murder."

"Suppose a man goes travelling," said Lewis with 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
uncomfortable. Her opinions sounded less convincing 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 a man to death," said Lewis, seeing
the snare and scorning to avoid it.

"But you have had difficulties?"

"Once I had to flog a couple of men. It was not pleasant, and worst of
all it did no good."

"Irrational violence seldom does," grunted Mr. Wishart.

"No, for, as I was going 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 decamped shortly afterwards, and all but managed
to block our path. I blame myself still for not hanging them."

A deep silence hung over the table. Mr. Wishart and the Andrews stared
with uncomprehending faces. Mr. Stocks studied his plate, and Alice
looked on the speaker with eyes in which unwilling respect strove with
consternation.

Only the culprit was at his ease. The discomfort of these good people
for a moment amused him. Then the sight of Alice's face, which he
wholly misread, brought him back to decent manners.

"I am afraid I have shocked you," he said simply. "If one knocks about
the world one gets a different point of view."

Mr. Wishart restrained a flood of indignation with an effort. "We
won't speak on the subject," he said. "I confess I have my prejudices."

Mr. Stocks assented with a smile and a sigh. In the drawing-room
afterwards Lewis was presented with the olive-branch o