It may here be remarked
that Mrs. Jones struggled very hard to get a footing in the shop, but
on this point it should be acknowledged that her husband did his duty
for a while.

"It must be you or I, Sarah Jane," said he; "but not both."

"I have no objection in life," said she; "you can stay at home, if
you please."

"By no means," he replied. "If you come here, and your father permits
it, I shall go to America. Of course the firm will allow me for my
share." She tried it on very often after that, and gave the firm much
trouble, but I don't think she got her hand into the cash drawer
above once or twice during the first twelve months.

The division of labour was finally arranged as follows. Mr. Brown
was to order the goods; to hire the young men and women, look after
their morality, and pay them their wages; to listen to any special
applications when a desire might be expressed to see the firm; and
to do the heavy respectable parental business. There was a little
back room with a sky-light, in which he was to sit; and when he was
properly got up, his manner of shaking his head at the young people
who misbehaved themselves, was not ineffective. There is always
danger when young men and women are employed together in the same
shop, and if possible this should be avoided. It is not in human
nature that they should not fall in love, or at any rate amuse
themselves with ordinary flirtations. Now the rule is that not a word
shall be spoken that does not refer to business. "Miss O'Brien, where
is the salmon-coloured sarsenet? or, Mr. Green, I'll trouble you for
the ladies' sevens." Nothing is ever spoken beyond that. "Morals,
morals, above everything!" Mr. Brown was once heard to shout from his
little room, when a whisper had been going round the shop as to a
concerted visit to the Crystal Palace. Why a visit to the Crystal
Palace should be immoral, when talked of over the counter, Mr. Brown
did not explain on that occasion.

"A very nice set of young women," the compiler of these memoirs once
remarked to a commercial gentleman in a large way, who was showing
him over his business, "and for the most part very good-looking."

"Yes, sir, yes; we attend to their morals especially. They generally
marry from us, and become the happy mothers of families."

"Ah," said I, really delighted in my innocence. "They've excellent
opportunities for that, because there are so many decent young men
about."

He turned on me as thoug