‘What’s wrong now?’ asked Mrs. Bower.

’Well, I don’t know what you’ll call it, but I call it the damnedest bit of sneaking behaviour as I ever knew!  He’s given the librarianship to that fellow Grail.  There’s the ’ouse at the back for him to live in, and rent free, no doubt; and there’s a good lumping salary, that you may go bail.  Now what do you think o’ that job?’

‘And him not as much as offerin’ it to you!’

‘Not so much as offerin’ it!  How many ’ud he have got to hear his lectures without me, I’d like to know!  I shouldn’t have taken it; no, of course I shouldn’t; it wouldn’t a’ suited me to take a librarianship.  But it was his bounden duty to give me the first offer.  I never thought he’d make one of us librarian; if it had been some stranger, I shouldn’t have made so much of it.  But to give it to Grail in that sneaking, underhanded way!  Why, I’d be ashamed o’ myself.  I’ve a rare good mind never to go near his lectures again.’

‘You’d better go,’ said Mrs. Bower, prudently.  ’He might pay you out at the works.  It ‘ud be a trick just like him, after this.’

‘I’ll think about it,’ returned the other, with dignity, sitting upright, and gathering his broad beard into his hand.

‘Why, there now!’ cried his wife, struck with a sudden thought.  ’If that doesn’t explain something!  Depend upon it—­depend upon it—­ that’s how Grail got Thyrza Trent to engage herself to him.  He’ll a’ known it for some time, Grail will a’ done.  He’s a mean fellow, or he’d never a’ gone and set her against Mr. Ackroyd, as it’s easy to see he did.  He’ll a’ told her about the ’ouse and the salary, of course he will!  If I didn’t think there was something queer in that job!’

Mr. Bower saw at once how highly probable this was.

‘And that is why they’ve put on such hairs, her an’ Lydia,’ Mrs. Bower pursued.  ’It’s all very well for Mary to pretend as there’s nothing altered.  It’s my belief Mary’s got to know more than she’ll tell, and Lydia’s quarrelled with her about it.  It’s easy enough to see as they have fell out.  Lydia ain’t been to chapel since Christmas, an’ you know yourself it was just before Christmas as Egremont went to the ’ouse to see Mr. Grail.  If she’d been a bit sharper, she’d never a’ told Mary that.  I ain’t surprised at Thyrza doin’ of under-handed things; I’ve never liked her over-much.  But I thought better of Lydia.’

‘I’ve not quarrelled with them,’ said Mr. Bower, magnanimously.  ’And girls must look out for themselves, and do the best for themselves they can.  But that soft-spoken, sneaking Hegremont!  You should a’ seen him when he had the cheek to tell me about it; you’d a’ thought he was going to give me a five-pound note.’

‘Now, you’ll see,’ said Mrs. Bower, ’they’ll take off old Boddy to live with them.’

’So much the better.  He can’t earn his living much longer, and who was to pay us for his lodging and keep, I’d like to know?’