Page:The Millbank Case - 1905 - Eldridge.djvu/222

 declaration was to the point and not to be mistaken. For the time being, and for present purposes, it was to be accepted, and having accepted it, the other had nothing to say. But it was not so easy for Trafford. He had, perhaps, to convince some budding doubt that had not found expression either in tone or words.

"To doubt the truth of the fellow's story, is to believe that he reasoned out the chance of the priest finding us and then deliberately employed what he regards as a sacrament—that is confession—to put in circulation a concocted story for the purpose of deceiving us. I don't believe he's that smart; and I don't believe, with his belief in the Church, he'd dare do it."

"We seem to be in the business of acquitting everybody," the other said in a surly tone.

"It's certainly not our business to convict, but to find out the truth," Trafford answered. "We aren't prosecuting attorneys."

"But our work lies in pointing out the guilty."

"Yes; but unless we do it as much for the sake of proving the innocence of the innocent as the guilt