pale.

"You are either very simple, or extremely the reverse, and I see that I
must deal with you more confidentially," says he. "This is a political
case--ah, yes, Mr. Balfour! whether we like it or no, the case is
political--and I tremble when I think what issues may depend from it. To
a political case, I need scarce tell a young man of your education, we
approach with very different thoughts from one which is criminal only.
_Salus populi suprema lex_ is a maxim susceptible of great abuse, but it
has that force which we find elsewhere only in the laws of nature: I
mean it has the force of necessity. I will open this out to you, if you
will allow me, at more length. You would have me believe--"

"Under your pardon, my lord, I would have you to believe nothing but
that which I can prove," said I.

"Tut! tut! young gentleman," says he, "be not so pragmatical, and suffer
a man who might be your father (if it was nothing more) to employ his
own imperfect language, and express his own poor thoughts, even when
they have the misfortune not to coincide with Mr. Balfour's. You would
have me to believe Breck innocent. I would think this of little account,
the more so as we cannot catch our man. But the matter of Breck's
innocence shoots beyond itself. Once admitted, it would destroy the
whole presumptions of our case against another and a very different
criminal; a man grown old in treason, already twice in arms against his
king and already twice forgiven; a fomenter of discontent, and (whoever
may have fired the shot) the unmistakable original of the deed in
question. I need not tell you that I mean James Stewart."

"And I can just say plainly that the innocence of Alan and of James is