April 10.--Farmerson came round to attend to the scraper himself.
He seems a very civil fellow. He says he does not usually conduct
such small jobs personally, but for me he would do so. I thanked
him, and went to town. It is disgraceful how late some of the
young clerks are at arriving. I told three of them that if Mr.
Perkupp, the principal, heard of it, they might be discharged.

Pitt, a monkey of seventeen, who has only been with us six weeks,
told me "to keep my hair on!" I informed him I had had the honour
of being in the firm twenty years, to which he insolently replied
that I "looked it." I gave him an indignant look, and said: "I
demand from you some respect, sir." He replied: "All right, go on
demanding." I would not argue with him any further. You cannot
argue with people like that. In the evening Gowing called, and
repeated his complaint about the smell of paint. Gowing is
sometimes very tedious with his remarks, and not always cautious;
and Carrie once very properly reminded him that she was present.

April 11.--Mustard-and-cress and radishes not come up yet. To-day
was a day of annoyances. I missed the quarter-to-nine 'bus to the
City, through having words with the grocer's boy, who for the
second time had the impertinence to bring his basket to the hall-
door, and had left the marks of his dirty boots on the fresh-
cleaned door-steps. He said he had knocked at the side door with
his knuckles for a quarter of an hour. I knew Sarah, our servant,
could not hear this, as she was upstairs doing the bedrooms, so
asked the boy why he did not ring the bell? He replied that he did
pull the bell, but the handle came off in his hand.