half so sore about it, than, or as, John Fry was. And one thing he did which I could not wholly (or indeed I may say, in any measure) reconcile with my sense of right; much as I laboured to do John justice, especially because of his roguery. And this was, that if we said too much, or accused him at all of laziness (which he must have known to be in him), ne regularly turned round upon us, and quite compelled us to hold our tongues, by threatening to lay information against us for paying him too much wages!
Now I have not mentioned all this of John Fry, from any disrespect for his memory (which is green and honest amongst us), far less from any desire to hurt the feeling of his grandchildren; and I will do them the justice, once for all, to avow, thus publicly, that I have known a great many bigger rogues; and most of themselves in the number. But I have referred, with moderation, to this little flaw in a worthy character (or foible, as we call it, when a man is dead) for this reason only—that without it there was no explaining John's dealings with Jeremy Stickles.
Master Jeremy, being full of London and Norwich experience, fell into the error of supposing that we clods and yokels were the simplest of the simple, and could be cheated at his good pleasure. Now this is not so: when once we suspect that people have that idea of us, we indulge them in it to the top of their bent, and grieve that they should come out of it, as they do at last in amazement, with less money than before, and the laugh now set against them.
