Rossmore. Suit after suit had been decided against him and the
interests he represented, and each time it was Judge Rossmore who
had handed down the decision. So for years these two men had
fought a silent but bitter duel in which principle on the one side
and attempted corruption on the other were the gauge of battle.
Judge Rossmore fought with the weapons which his oath and the law
directed him to use, Ryder with the only weapons he understood--
bribery and trickery. And each time it had been Rossmore who had
emerged triumphant. Despite every manoeuvre Ryder's experience
could suggest, notwithstanding every card that could be played to
undermine his credit and reputation, Judge Rossmore stood higher
in the country's confidence than when he was first appointed.

So when Ryder found he could not corrupt this honest judge with
gold, he decided to destroy him with calumny. He realized that the
sordid methods which had succeeded with other judges would never
prevail with Rossmore, so he plotted to take away from this man
the one thing he cherished most--his honour. He would ruin him by
defaming his character, and so skilfully would he accomplish his
work that the judge himself would realize the hopelessness of
resistance. No scruples embarrassed Ryder in arriving at this
determination. From his point of view he was fully justified.
"Business is business. He hurts my interests; therefore I remove
him." So he argued, and he considered it no more wrong to wreck
the happiness of this honourable man than he would to have shot a
burglar in self-defence. So having thus tranquillized his
conscience he had gone to work in his usually thorough manner, and
his success had surpassed the most sanguine expectations.

This is what he had done.