第60章 (第3/3页)
idn't mean it physically.'
'I know you didn't.'
'Everything that he did was shabby. Come to think of it, "Morton's Fork" is the shabbiest piece of revenue-raising in history. But it wasn't only his greed for money. Everything about him is shabby, isn't it?'
'Yes. Dr Gairdner wouldn't have any trouble in making his actions fit his character. How did you get on with the Doctor?'
'A fascinating study. But for the grace of God I think the worthy Doctor might have made a living as a criminal.'
'Because he cheated?'
'Because he didn't cheat. He was as honest as the day. He just couldn't reason from B to C.'
'All right, I'll buy.'
'Everyone can reason from A to B-even a child. And most adults can reason from B to C. But a lot can't. Most criminals can't. You may not believe it-I know it's an awful come-down from the popular conception of the criminal as a dashing and cute character-but the criminal mind is an essentially silly one. You can't imagine how silly sometimes. You'd have to experience it to believe their lack of reasoning powers. They arrive at B, but they're quite incapable of making the jump to C. They'll lay two completely incompatible things side by side and contemplate them with the most unquestioning content. You can't make them see that they can't have both, any more than you can make a man of no taste see that bits of plywood nailed on to a gable to simulate Tudor beams are impossible. Have you started your own book?