s teeth, spat and said: "Well, if you must know, Mrs. Mahony, the
doctor's not the boss it pleases me to be h'under any more--and that's
the trewth. I'm tired of it--dog-tired. You can slave yer 'ead off for
'im, and 'e never notices a thing you do, h'or if 'e does, it's on'y to
find fault. It h'ain't 'uman, I say, and I'll be danged if I stand it
h'any longer."

But people who came to Mary with criticism of Richard got no mercy.
"You're far too touchy, Jim. YOU know, if any one does, how rushed and
busy the doctor is, and you ought to be the first to make allowance for
him--after all he's done for you. You wouldn't be here now, if it
hadn't been for him. And then to expect him to notice and praise you
for every little job you do!"

But Jim was stubborn. 'E didn't want to deny anything. But 'e'd rather
go. An' this day a week if it suited her.

"It's really dreadful how uppish the lower classes get as soon as they
have a little money in their pocket," she said to herself, as she
walked the shadeless, sandy road. But this thought was like a shadow
cast by her husband's mind on hers, and was ousted by the more
indigenous: "But after all who can blame him, poor old fellow, for
wanting to take life easy if he has the chance." She even added: "He
might have gone off, as most of them do, without a word."

Then her mind reverted to what he had said of Richard, and she pondered
the antagonism that had shown through his words. It was not the first
time she had run up against this spirit, but, as usual, she was at a
loss to explain it. Why should people of Old Jim's class dislike
Richard as they did?--find him so hard to get on with? He was
invariably considerate of them, and treated them very generously with
regard to money. And yet ... for some reason or other they felt injured
by him; and thought and spoke of him with a kind of churlish
resentment. She was not clever enough to find the key to the riddle--it
was no such simple explanation as that he felt himself too good for
them. That was not the case: he was proud, certainly, but she had never
known any one who--under, it was true, a rather sarcastic manner--was
more broadly tolerant of his fellow-men. And she wound up her soliloquy
with the lame admission: "Yes, in spite of all his kindness, I suppose
he IS queer ... decidedly queer," and then she heaved a sigh. What a
pity it was! When you knew him to be, at heart, such a dear, good,
well-meaning man.

A short walk br