They tried to argue it away by reminding conscience that they had purloined sweetmeats and apples scores of times; but conscience was not to be appeased by such thin plausibilities; it seemed to them, in the end, that there was no getting around the stubborn fact that taking sweetmeats was only "hooking," while taking bacon and hams and such valuables was plain simple stealing--and there was a command against that in the Bible.
Intentaren arguir, per allunyar-la, que vintenes de vegades havien furtat llaminadures i pomes; pero llur consciencia no havia d'apaivagar-se amb tan mesquines plausibilitats. Els sembla, al capdavall, que no s'hi valia a discutir un fet inderrocable: pendre llaminadures no era més que rapissar, mentre que apoderar-se de porc i pernil i béns d'aquesta mena era, clar i net, robar; i contra aixo hi havia un manament a la Bíblia.