It did not occur to Tom at the moment to plead that if he was dishonest he would have contrived not to be so in such a singularly silly fashion: that he might have taken cash paid for goods bought, and that the possibility of discovery would have been much smaller. He was stunned. "It is so painful," continued Mr. Furze, "that I must have time to reflect. I will talk to you again about it to-morrow." The truth was that Mr. Furze wished to consult his wife. When he went home his first news was what had happened, but he forgot to mention the corroboration by Jim. "But," said Mrs. Furze, "Joe may have been mistaken; perhaps, after all, he did not pay the money." "Ah! but Jim was in the shop at the time. I had Jim in, and he swears that he saw Joe give it to Tom, and that Tom put it in the till." Mrs. Furze seemed a little uncomfortable, but she soon recovered. "We ought to have proof beyond all doubt of Tom's dishonesty. I do not see that this is proof. At any rate, it would not satisfy Catharine. I should wait a month. It is of no use making two faces about this business; we must take one line or the other. I should tell him that, on reconsideration, you cannot bring yourself to suspect him; that you have perfect confidence in him, and that there must be some mistake somewhere, though you cannot at present see how. That will throw him off his guard." Mr. Furze acknowledged the superiority of his wife's intellect and obeyed. Tom came to work on the following morning in a state of great excitement, and with an offer of restitution, but was appeased, and Orkid Jim, appearing in the shop, was astonished and dismayed to find Tom and his master on the same footing as before. He went up to the Terrace, the excuse being that he called to see how the new boiler was going on. Phoebe came to the door, but he wanted to see the mistress. "What do you want her for? She knows nothing about the boiler. It is all right, I tell you." "Never you mind. It wor she as give me the directions, worn't it, when I was 'ere afore?" Accordingly the mistress appeared, and Phoebe, remaining in the kitchen, was sent upstairs upon some important business, much cogitating upon the unusual interest Mrs. Furze took in the kitchen range, and the evident desire on her part that her instructions to Jim should be private. "Well, Jim, the boiler is all right." "That's more nor some things are." "Why, what has happened?" "I s'pose you know. Joe paid Humphries' bill, and Mr. Catchpole swears he never had the money, but Joe's got his receipt." "You were in the shop and saw it paid?" "Of course I was. I s'pose you heerd that too?" "Yes. We do not think, however, that the case is clear, and we shall do nothing this time." "I don't know wot you'd 'ave, Mrs. Furze. If this ere ain't worth the five shillin' yer gave me, nothin' is--that's all I've got to say."