One day we spoke of crime and criminals.

We had discussed the possibility of a novel without a villain, but had decided that it would be uninteresting.
"It is a terribly sad reflection," remarked MacShaughnassy, musingly; "but what a desperately dull place this earth would be if it were not for our friends the bad people.

Do you know," he continued, "when I hear of folks going about the world trying to reform everybody and make them good, I get positively nervous.

Once do away with sin, and literature will become a thing of the past.

Without the criminal classes we authors would starve." "I shouldn't worry," replied Jephson, drily; "one half mankind has been 'reforming' the other half pretty steadily ever since the Creation, yet there appears to be a fairly appreciable amount of human nature left in it, notwithstanding.