"Surely not," I broke in.  "Have you forgotten the homely old adage that `It's never too late to mend'?  What you have done can never be undone, it is true, but it can be repented of, and reparation can be made, if not directly to the persons injured, yet by doing good to others where you have the opportunity.  Will you not think the matter over again, and this time with the determination to arrive at a right decision?"