’He who wants to receive, all the world over, will make himself as agreeable as he can to him who can give.’

’But Mrs Pipkin was so humble.  However, we got back all right yesterday evening, and then I found that you had been here,—­at last.’

‘You knew that I had to go to Liverpool.’

‘I’m not going to scold.  Did you get your business done at Liverpool?’

’Yes;—­one generally gets something done, but never anything very satisfactorily.  Of course it’s about this railway.’

’I should have thought that that was satisfactory.  Everybody talks of it as being the greatest thing ever invented.  I wish I was a man that I might be concerned with a really great thing like that. ...