Behind every fortune there is a crime.
The secret of a great success for which you are at a loss to account is a crime that has never been found out, because it was properly executed.
What moralist can deny that well-bred and vicious people are much more agreeable than their virtuous counterparts? Having crimes to atone for, they provisionally solicit indulgence by showing leniency toward the defects of their judges. Thus they pass for excellent folk.
