Baker would steal land without compunction; Welton would take
land illegally without thought of the illegality, only because everybody
else did it the same way.
But should the mere fact of personality make any difference in the
enforcing of laws? That one man was amiable and the other not so amiable
had nothing to do with eternal justice. If Bob were to fulfil his duty
only against those he disliked, and in favour of his friends, he had
indeed slipped back to the old days of henchman politics from which the
nation was slowly struggling. He reared his head at this thought. Surely
he was man enough to sink private affairs in the face of a stern public
duty!
This determined, Bob thought the question settled. After a few minutes,
it returned as full of interrogation points as ever. Leaving Baker and
Welton entirely out of the question, the two cases still drew apart. One
was just, the other unjust. Why? On the answer depended the peace of
Bob's conscience. Of course he would resign rather than be forced to
prosecute Welton. That was understood, and Bob resolutely postponed
contemplation of the necessity.
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