“I protest before you, sir, as a Christian minister, against the sanction of proceedings towards me which are dictated by virulent hatred. Those who are hostile to me are glad to believe any libel uttered by a loose tongue against me. And their consciences become strict against me. Say that the evil-speaking of which I am to be made the victim accuses me of malpractices⁠—” here Bulstrode’s voice rose and took on a more biting accent, till it seemed a low cry⁠—“who shall be my accuser? Not men whose own lives are unchristian, nay, scandalous⁠—not men who themselves use low instruments to carry out their ends⁠—whose profession is a tissue of chicanery⁠—who have been spending their income on their own sensual enjoyments, while I have been devoting mine to advance the best objects with regard to this life and the next.”