s. One little
remark she did make, which may perhaps have had allusion to that
business.

"Bah!" she exclaimed, as Mr. Tappitt came near her; "if you must
smoke at all, I wish to goodness you'd smoke good tobacco."

"So I do," said Tappitt, turning round at her sharply. "It's best
mixed bird's-eye. As if you could know the difference, indeed!"

"So I do, T. I know the difference very well. It's all poison to
me,--absolute poison,--as you're very well aware. But that filthy
strong stuff that you've taken to lately, is enough to kill anybody."

"I haven't taken to any filthy strong stuff," said Tappitt.

This was the beginning of that evening's conversation. I am inclined
to think that Mrs. Tappitt had made her calculations, and had
concluded that she could put forth her coming observations more
efficaciously by having her husband in bad humour, than she could,
if she succeeded in coaxing him into a good humour. I think that she
made the above remarks, not solely because the fumes of tobacco were
distasteful to her, but because the possession of a grievance might
give her an opportunity of commencing the forthcoming debate with
some better amount of justified indignation on her own side. It was
not often that she begrudged Tappitt his pipe, or made ill-natured
remarks about his gin and water.

"T.," she said, when Tappitt had torn off his coat in some anger at
the allusion to "filthy strong stuff,"--"T., what do you mean to do
about this lawsuit?"

"I don't mean to do anything."

"That's nonsense, T.; you must do something, you know. What does Mr.
Honyman say?"

"Honyman is a fool."

"Nonsense, T.; he's not a fool. Or if he is, why have you let him
manage your affairs so long? But I don't believe he's a fool at all.
I believe he knows what he's talking about, quite as well as some
others, who pretend to be so clever. As to your going to Sharpit and
Longfite, it's quite out of the question."

"Who's talking of going to them?"

"You did talk of it."

"No I didn't. You heard me mention their names; but I never said that
I should go to them at all. I almost wish I had."

"Now, T., don't talk in that way, or you'll really put me beside
myself."

"I don't want to talk of it at all. I only want to go to bed."

"But we must talk of it, T. It's all very well for you to say you
don't want to talk of things; but what is to become of me and my
girls if everything goes astray at the brewery? You can't expect me