over the other, to try and hide them."

"There was no need of that, George. It did not alter the fact that they
were down at heel; and there is no disgrace in being clothed only as
respectable as we can afford, is there?"

"Not a bit, mother: and I feel so vexed with myself because I knew I
turned red, which made the two clerks smile. But I must go on telling
you what else I saw. The old gentleman seems quite a character--he is
nearly bald, has got no whiskers, wears a big white neckcloth and a tail
coat, and takes snuff every five minutes out of a silver box. Whether he
knows it or not, the clerks are very rude to him: for when he took
snuff, one of them sneezed, or pretended to sneeze, every time, and
another snuffled, as if he were taking snuff too."

"That certainly does not speak well for the clerks," said Mrs. Weston.
"Old gentlemen do have peculiar ways sometimes, but it is not right for
young people to ridicule them."

"No, it is not; and I don't like to see people do a thing behind another
one's back they are afraid to do before his face. When the clerks had to
speak to the old gentleman, they were as civil as possible, and said,
'Yes, sir,' and 'No, sir,' to him so meekly, as if they were quite
afraid of him; but after a little while, when he took up his hat and
went out, they all began talking and laughing out loud, although when he
was there, they had only occasionally spoken in low whispers. There was
only one young man, out of the whole lot, who did not join with them,
but kept at his work; and I thought if I got a situation in that office,
I should try and make friends with him."