"Well, Tom's got the real article, if ever a fellow had," rejoined the other. "Why, last fall, I let him go to Cincinnati alone, to do business for me, and bring home five hundred dollars. 'Tom,' says I to him, 'I trust you, because I think you're a Christian—I know you wouldn't cheat.' Tom comes back, sure enough; I knew he would. Some low fellows, they say, said to him—'Tom, why don't you make tracks for Canada?' 'Ah, master trusted me, and I couldn't,'—they told me about it. I am sorry to part with Tom, I must say. You ought to let him cover the whole balance of the debt; and you would, Haley, if you had any conscience."
What is ironic about Shelby's use of the word conscience to refer to Haley's business practices?
Neither Tom, Shelby, nor Haley has much of a conscience.
Haley has a stronger moral conscience than Shelby.
Shelby has no conscience about handing over Tom.
Shelby his mistaken Haley for a man with conscience.
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The most fitting answer is: Shelby is mistaken in thinking Haley is a man with conscience.
This is ironic because Shelby, while expressing concern for Tom's character and integrity, is also willing to hand him over to Haley, who is depicted as morally questionable. Shelby’s remarks about Haley's conscience highlight the contrast between her view of Tom and her decision to allow him to be sold, revealing a lack of moral integrity on her part as well.
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