His reading, which had been of the best, had laid a premium upon honesty and uprightness, and he had learned to look with abhorrence upon the criminal classes.

So he drew a little away from 'Frisco Kid and remained silent.

But 'Frisco Kid, devoting all his energies to the handling of the sloop, had no time in which to remark this sudden change of feeling on the part of his companion.
But there was one thing Joe found in himself that surprised him.

While the thought of 'Frisco Kid being a thief was repulsive to him, 'Frisco Kid himself was not.

Instead of feeling an honest desire to shun him, he felt drawn toward him.