‘There’s too many of us to be livin’ an’ sleepin’ in this Little place,’ she said; ‘but, after all, it’s a savin’ of rent.  It’s a good thing Clara isn’t here.  An’ you’ve heard as John’s got work?’

He had found a job at length with a cabinet-maker; tonight he would probably be working till ten or eleven o’clock.  Good news so far.  Then Mrs. Hewett began to speak with curiosity of the old man who claimed Jane as his grandchild.  Sidney told her what had just happened.

‘An’ what did you say about the girl?’ she asked anxiously.

’I said as little as I could; I thought it wisest.  Do you know what made her ill?’

‘It was that Clem as did it,’ Mrs. Hewett replied, subduing her voice, And she related what had befallen after Sidney’s last visit.  ’Mrs. Peckover, she’s that afraid the truth should get out.  Of course I don’t want to make no bother, but I do feel that glad the poor thing’s got somebody to look after her at last.  I never told you half the things as used to go on.  That Clem’s no better than a wild-beast tiger; but then what can you do?  There’s never any good comes out of makin’ a bother with other people’s business, is there?  Fancy him comin’ to see you!  Mrs. Peckover’s afraid of him, I can see that, though she pretends she isn’t goin’ to stand him interferin’.  What do you think about him, Sidney?  He’s sent for a doctor out of Islington; wouldn’t have nothin’ to say to the other.  He must have plenty of money, don’t you think?  Mrs. Peckover says he’s goin’ to pay the money owin’ to her for Jane’s keep.  As if the poor thing hadn’t more than paid for her bits of meals an’ her bed in the kitchen!  Do you think that woman ’ud ever have kept her if it wasn’t she could make her a servant with no wages?  If Jane ’ud been a boy, she’d a gone to the workhouse long ago.  She’s been that handy, poor little mite!  I’ve always done what I could for her; you know that, Sidney.  I do hope she’ll get over it.  If anything happens, mind my word, there’ll be a nice to-do!  Clara says she’ll go to a magistrate an’ let it all out, if nobody else will.  She hates the Peckovers, Clara does.’

‘It won’t come to that,’ said Sidney.  ’I can see the old man’ll take her away as soon as possible.  He may have a little money; he’s just come back from Australia.  I like the look of him myself.’

He began to talk of other subjects; waxed wrath at the misery of this housing to which the family had shrunk; urged a removal from the vile den as soon as ever it could be managed.  Sidney always lost control of himself when he talked with the Hewetts of their difficulties; the people were, from his point of view, so lacking in resource, so stubbornly rooted in profitless habit.  Over and over again he had implored them to take a rational view of the case, to borrow a few pounds of him, to make a new beginning on clean soil.  It was like contending with some hostile force of nature; lie spent himself in vain.