'He says you 'aven't got no proper feelins about poor Eliza, and you'd
ought to have done a great deal more for Louisa. But 'ee says you allus
were a mean one with your money--an you knew that '_ee_ knew it--for 'ee
'd stopped you takin an unfair advantage more nor once. An 'ee didn't
believe as your money would come to any good; for now Eliza was gone you
wouldn't know how to take care on it.'

John's eyes flamed. 'Oh! 'ee says that, do 'ee? Well Saunders wor allus
a beast--an a beast 'ee'll be.'

He sat with his chin on his large dirty hands, ruminating furiously.

It was quite true that Saunders had thwarted him more than once. There
was old Mrs. Moulsey at the shop, when she wanted to buy those cottages
in Potter's Row--and there was Sam Field the higgler--both of them would
have borrowed from him if Saunders hadn't cooled them off. Saunders said
it was a Jew's interest he was asking--because there was security--but
he wasn't going to accept a farthing less than his shilling a pound for
three months--not he! So they might take it or leave it. And Mrs.
Moulsey got hers from the Building Society, and Sam Field made shift to
go without. And John Bolderfield was three pounds poorer that quarter
than he need have been--all along of Saunders. And now Saunders was
talking 'agen him' like this--blast him!

'Oh, an then he went on'--pursued Bessie with gusto--'about your bein
too ignorant to put it in the post-office. 'Ee said you'd think Edwards
would go an spend it' (Edwards was the postmaster), 'an then he laughed
fit to split 'imself. Yer couldn't see more nor the length of your own
nose he said--it was edication _you_ wanted. As for 'im, 'ee said, 'ee'd