Mogg's very good health.) Well, I wrote to her, and here is her
answer. You see Hodgett has been poisoning the old lady's mind."

I cannot give all John Brown's comments upon worthy Mrs Hodgett's
epistle, without doing him great injustice in the recital; but here
the contents are verbatim.

"Dear Sir,--Your favour of last week came safe to hand, and was
very glad to find you was well, as it leaves us at present.
Concerning your calling here next journey, am sorry to say shall
be from home at that time. Sir, I should have been very glad to
see you, but my son says you are not of an undeniable character,
which, in a widow woman's establishment, must be first
consideration. That was what I said to Mr Spriggins. Betsy, my
daughter, as you know, is to be married to him next month. I
don't think he is quite so steady as some, in regard that he must
have his cigar and his tilberry on Sundays--John Mogg never did;
but we can't all be Moggs in this world, or there wouldn't be no
_great failures_.

"S. Hodgett, in declining business, returns thanks for all past
favours, and remain, Dear Sir,

"Your obedient servant,
"J. Spriggins,
(late S. Hodgett.)

"P.S.--I am afraid college is a sad place for such young men as
is not steady. Mrs Hicks, our great butcher's lady, told me that,
when her son, who was a remarkable good lad, came home from
Cambridge college after being there only two months, they found a
short pipe in his best coat pocket, and he called his father
'governor,' which, as Mrs H. said, he never was, and he wouldn't
wear his nightcap."

"Well," said Chesterton, when we had read this original document two
or three times over, "it doesn't seem quite usual for a man to sign
his own testimonials, especially when, as in Mr Spriggins's case, they
are not the most flattering. Do you suppose he really wrote this, or
signed it by mistake, or what is it?

"Neither one nor the other. Don't you see, the old lady, in declining
the linen-drapery, merges her own identity in that of her successor?
There's no such firm as 'Hodgett' now, it's 'Spriggins,' and she
thinks it necessary to sign accordingly. Here's the card enclosed."

"Well, there's one thing very certain, that Mrs Hodgett declines doing
business with you in future, John."

"Yes; and I'