I feel in sympathy with Caleb.
Falkland was a man of high honor and virtue who interested himself in the well-being of others so as to go above and beyond himself in their protection. This incurred the wrath of the man tormenting them, a man who hated him and it cannot be denied that Falkland hated in return.
When Falkland attempted to make peace, there was more show than sincerity. His high-handedness was even more instigation for Tyrrell's wrath, and of course Falkland knew this. After Tyrrell's death and Falkland's acquittal of his murder, it is easy to see how little clues of his showiness and high-handedness revealed themselves in the narrative.
Another complication in the story is that the narrative was given by Collins, and without knowing Collins' true opinion of Falkland we cannot determine if the story was biased against him. This long narrative was an interesting feature and device of the novels from this time, and many novels exist entirely within the span of one long-winded story.
I have met people who seem capable of talking for hours at a time, but not one who would reproduce a narrative with such attention to dialogue and detail on the spur of the moment, in a chance encounter. I wonder if this was considered unrealistic in the time.