Of these sentiments, all easily provoked, but not always easy to understand, the last had the greatest moral efficiency--because Mr Verloc was _good_.
His mother and his sister had established that ethical fact on an unshakable foundation.

They had established, erected, consecrated it behind Mr Verloc's back, for reasons that had nothing to do with abstract morality.

And Mr Verloc was not aware of it.

It is but bare justice to him to say that he had no notion of appearing good to Stevie.

Yet so it was.