Ryder threw himself down suddenly upon the rug and clutched at my companion's knees. "For God's sake, have mercy!" he shrieked. "Think of my father! Of my mother! It would break their hearts. I never went wrong before! I never will again. I swear it. I'll swear it on a Bible. Oh, don't bring it into court! For Christ's sake, don't!" (Carbuncle.175).
James Ryder's argument for freedom is kind of similar to Neville St. Clair's – he wants to protect his family. He doesn't want to lose his parents' respect or his reputation. But his manner – the way he begs, pleads, whines, and cries – makes him come off much worse than St. Clair ever did. So why does Holmes let him go, then? How do the representations of St. Clair and Ryder overlap? How do they differ?