"You see, Mr Ruggles," said Purkis, waving the shoe, "having the cleaning and polishing of those poor-boxes, I felt as if I was answerable for them, and as if it was me as ought to know where the money went. They weren't my tills, sir, but they was in my church; and the people as that there money was for was my poor people, as I've presided over in the giving of scores of doles at the vestry--people as respex me, sir; and, after a deal of consideration, I says to myself, I says--It's some one as goes to the church on week days, and it's either me--" "O Joseph, Joseph!" cried Mrs Purkis, beginning to sob. "Why can't you be quiet, and let a man speak?" exclaimed Mr Purkis, in injured tones. "But--but--you'll be getting yourself into trouble about it," sobbed Mrs Purkis. "Please don't let him say no more, Mr Ruggles." "Women is so soft, Mr Ruggles," said Purkis, benevolently. "Not always, sir--not always," said Tim, standing first upon one leg, then upon the other, and rubbing the nap off his shabby hat till there was quite a bald place. "Not always, sir; I've known them as was very hard." "So have I, sir," said Mr Purkis, importantly, as a county magistrate pronouncing a sentence,--"so have I, sir; and I says to myself--Joseph Purkis, you've been parish officer at St Runnle's a many years now, and with that there stain about the church, your uniform is a getting tarnished, and your sooperiors will look down upon you till you clear it away. Them boxes are in your charge, and therefore you owe a dooty to yourself to set all right. He didn't look at you at all last Sunday, the vicar didn't; and how do you know but what he suspects you, same as he may any innercent person? He may even now think as you have a hand in it, and be writing out your resignation for you. And really, Joseph Purkis, I says, it looks as if it were either you--" "O Joseph--_Jo_seph!" sobbed Mrs Purkis. "Be quiet, woman, can't you?" shouted Purkis. "Either you," he continued, slapping the counter with the shoe, "or some one else familiar with the place." "Oh!" gasped Mrs Purkis. "Now, just you go in there, and shut that door after you, Mrs Purkis, if you please," said the beadle, more importantly than ever; and, taking his other hand from his pocket, he opened the parlour door as if it had been a pew, and made way with a flourish of the shoe for his wife to enter; while that lady, whose society had now become too demonstrative to be pleasant, raised her hands appealingly to the Wellingtons hung around the shop, as if to ask them to bear witness that it was in spite of her advice Mr Purkis persisted in committing himself. But the next minute she was invisible, on account of the dingy muslin blind over the half glass-door, and Mr Purkis walked back Astur-like in his stately stride.