"Look here, you know," he continued, earnestly; "I don't mind speaking out before you. Don't you make no mistake; we're old friends, and this is how it is. Don't you see, it's all a plant as that there Jack Screwby got up because I as good as kicked him out--a vagabond! Wanted to come sneaking here after--but there!" he jerked out, throwing himself into quite a convulsion of spasmodic kicks, and scattering imaginary turnip-seed by the handful;--"I won't talk about that no more. Only look here, you know; you're my lodger, and I like my lodgers to look up to their landlord with respect; so don't you make no mistake, and go for to think as them corks ain't all square, because they air--square as square." Canau nodded, and lit his cigarette. "Look here, you know," continued D. Wragg; "it's like this here--A man comes to you and he says, `I want two score o' blue rocks'--pigeons, you know, for trap-shooting, a thing as you furriners can't understand, though you may come to some day. Well, he says, `I want two score o' blue rocks, and I ain't got no money, but I've got corks;' and corks, you know, is money, if there ain't no money, same as, when there warn't no money, people used to swop. Well, then, we settles it in that way-- wally for wally--he has blue rocks, and I has corks; and he'll sell his blue rocks for money to the swells, and I shall sell my corks for money to a chap I knows as makes ginger-pop. And now, what's the matter? No one can't say after that as them corks ain't square, can they?" "But there was the ham," said Canau, apparently disposed to cavil. "Don't you make no mistake about that. That there ham's sweet enough; nothing couldn't be squarer. We like ham, we do; and Mother Winks is mortal partial to a rasher. That's why I laid in a stock." "Um!" said Canau, exhaling a thin cloud of smoke; "and about--about the young man?" "Well," said D. Wragg, looking sidewise out of his little eyes, "perhaps I worn't quite square over that; for you see the young chap was all on the stare about little Pellet; and as he seemed ready to buy half the shop if she was likely to be here, I did think we might as well make a few pounds extry; for times is werry hard, you know, Mr Canau, and expenses is werry great: things runs up 'orrid." Canau smoked fiercely, his yellow forehead growing knit and angry-looking; but he did not speak. "She didn't like it, though," continued D. Wragg; "and don't you make no mistake: I was sorry for it afterwards, and called myself a bumble-footed old beast when I see her a cryin'. But don't you make no mistake; as soon as I see she didn't like it, why, bless her little heart, I says, `Don't you go in the shop no more than you like, my pet,' I says; and, bless her, she said she done it for poor Janet's sake."