If the major was a clown, Cornelius was a cad. The one was capable of genuine sympathy, the other not yet of any. The latter loved his own paltry self, counting it the most precious thing in creation. The former was conceited it is true, but had no lofty opinion of himself. Hence it was that he thought so much of his small successes. His boasting of them was mainly an uneasy effort at establishing himself comfortably in his own eyes and the eyes of friends. It was little more than a dog’s turning of himself round and round before he lies down. He knew they were small things he boasted about, but he had no other. His great things, those in which he had shown himself a true and generous man, he looked on as matters of course, nor recognized anything in them worth thinking of. He was not a great man, but had elements of greatness. He had no vision of truth, but obeyed his moral instincts. When those should blossom into true intents, as one day they must, he would be a great man.

How blessed a thing that God will judge us and man shall not! Where we see no difference, he sees ages of difference. The very thing that looks to us for condemnation may to the eyes of God show in its heart ground for excuse, yea, of partial justification. Only God’s excuse is, I suspect, seldom coincident with the excuse a man makes for himself. If anyone thinks that God will not search closely into things, I say there could not be such a God. He will see the uttermost farthing paid. His excuses are as just as his condemnations.

In respect of Cornelius the major was more careful than usual not to make himself disagreeable, for his feelings against the conceit of the lad put him on his guard. Many behave better to those they do not like than to those they do. By this he flattered, without intending it, the vanity of the youth, who did not, therefore, spare his criticism behind his back. Hester usually answered in the major’s defence, but tried to do so calmly.

One day she lost her temper with her beam-eyed brother. “Cornelius, the major may have his faults,” she said, “but you are not the man to find them out. He is ten times the gentleman you are.”