"I would have brought Robert to apologise," said the Colonel, "if he
had been as yet in a mood to do so properly."
"Oh! that would have been dreadful for us all," ejaculated Caroline,
under her breath.
"But I can make nothing of him," continued he, "He is perfectly
stolid and seems incapable of feeling anything, though I have talked
to him as I never thought to have to speak to any son of mine; but he
is deaf to all."
The Colonel, in his wrath, even while addressing only Caroline and
Mr. Ogilvie, had raised his voice as if he were shouting words of
command, so that both shrank a little, and Carey said—-
"I don't think he knew it was so bad."
"What? Cheating his masters and torturing a helpless child for not
yielding to his tyranny?"
"People don't always give things their right names even to
themselves," said Mr. Ogilvie. "I should try to see it from the
boy's point of view."
"I have no notion of extenuating ill-conduct or making excuses!
That's the modern way! So principles get lowered! I tell you, sir,
there are excuses for everything. What makes the difference is only
the listening to them or not."
"Yes," ventured Caroline, "but is there not a difference between
finding excuses for oneself and for other people?"
"All alike, lowering the principle," said the Colonel, with something
of the same slowness of comprehension as his son.
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