'Well, no; not exactly; but I intend to call again. He's close enough himself, is Mr. Mason. But his lady, Mrs. M.! Lord love you, Mr. Moulder; that is a woman!'
'She is; is she? As for me, I never have none of these private dealings. It don't suit my book at all; nor it aint what I've been accustomed to. If a man’s wholesale, let him be wholesale? And then, having enunciated this excellent opinion with much energy, he took a long pull at his brandy and water.
'Very old fashioned, Mr. Moulder,' said Kantwise, looking round the corner, then shutting his eyes and shaking his head.
'May be,' said Moulder, 'and yet none the worse for that. I call it hawking and peddling, that going round the country with your goods on your back. It aint trade.' And then there was a lull in the conversation, Mr. Kantwise, who was a very religious gentle man, having closed his eyes, and being occupied with some internal anathema against Mr. Moulder.
'Begging your pardon, sir, I think you were talking about one Mr, Mason who lives in these parts,' said Dockwrath.
'Exactly. Joseph Mason, Esq., of Groby Park,' said Mr, Kantwise, now turning his face upon the attorney.
'I suppose I shall be likely to find him at home to-morrow, if I call?
'Certainly, sir; certainly; leastwise I should say so. Any personal acquaintance with Mr. Mason, sir? If so, I meant nothing offensive by my allusion to the lady, sir; nothing at all, I can assure you.'
'The lady’s nothing to me, sir; nor the gentleman either;—only that I have a little business with him.'
'Shall be very happy to join you in a gig, sir, to-morrow, as far as Groby Park; or fly, if more convenient. I shall only take a few patterns with me, and they're no weight at all;—none in the least, sir. They go on behind, and you wouldn't know it, sir.' To this, however, Mr. Dockwrath would not assent. As he wanted to see Mr. Mason very specially, he should go early, and preferred going by himself.
'No offence, I hope,' said Mr. Kantwise.
'None in the least,’ said Mr. Dockwrath.
'And if you would allow me, six, to have the pleasure of showing you a few of my patterns, I’m sure I should be delighted.' This he said observing that Mr. Moulder was sitting over his empty glass with the pipe in his hand, and his eyes fast closed. 'I think, sir, I could show you an article that would please you very much. You see, sir, that new ideas are coming in every day, and wood, sir, is altogether going out,—altogether going out as regards furniture. In another twenty years, sir, there won't be such a thing as a wooden table in the country, unless with some poor person that
