h I had calumniated his establishment with a
libel of the vilest description. "If a whisper of such a thing ever
reaches us, sir," said he, quite alive with virtuous indignation;
"if such a suspicion is ever engendered, we send them packing at
once! The morals of our young women, sir--" And then he finished his
sentence simply by a shake of his head. I tried to bring him into an
argument, and endeavoured to make him understand that no young woman
can become a happy wife unless she first be allowed to have a lover.
He merely shook his head, and at last stamped his foot. "Morals,
sir!" he repeated. "Morals above everything. In such an establishment
as this, if we are not moral, we are nothing." I supposed he was
right, but it seemed to me to be very hard on the young men and
women. I could only hope that they walked home together in the
evening.

In the new firm in Bishopsgate Street, Mr. Brown, of course, took
upon himself that branch of business, and some little trouble he
had, because his own son-in-law and partner would make eyes to the
customers.

"Mr. Jones," he once said before them all; "you'll bring down my gray
hairs with sorrow to the grave; you will, indeed." And then he put up
his fat hand, and gently stroked the white expanse of his bald pate.
But that was a very memorable occasion.

Such was Mr. Brown's business. To Mr. Jones was allocated the
duty of seeing that the shop was duly dressed, of looking after
the customers, including that special duty of guarding against
shop-lifting, and of attending generally to the retail business. It
cannot be denied that for this sort of work he had some specialties.
His eye was sharp, and his ear was keen, and his feelings were blunt.
In a certain way, he was good-looking, and he knew how to hand
a chair with a bow and smile, which went far with the wives and
daughters of the East End little tradesmen,--and he was active enough
at his work. He was usually to be seen standing in the front of the
shop, about six yards within the door, rubbing his hands together, or
arranging his locks, or twiddling with his brass watch-chain. Nothing
disconcerted him, unless his wife walked into the place; and then,
to the great delight of the young men and women, he was unable to
conceal his misery. By them he was hated,--as was perhaps necessary
in his position. He was a tyrant, who liked to feel at every moment
the relish of his power. To the poor girls he was cruel, treating
them