His conscience troubled him.

In vain he reasoned that Mrs.
Anderson's despotism was morally wrong, and that this action was right as an offset to it.

He knew that it was not right.
I want to remark here that there are many situations in life in which a conscience is dreadfully in the way.

There are people who go straight ahead to success--such as it is--with no embarrassments, no fire in the rear from any scruples.

Some of these days I mean to write an essay on "The Inconvenience of having a Conscience," in which I shall proceed to show that it costs more in the course of a year or two, than it would to keep a stableful of fast horses.