"Well, I know one thing—that her father was a scamp."
"Shouldn't wonder! I saw that man, and I didn't like the looks of him. Nor Smithers didn't either. He wasn't worth much, I shouldn't think."
"Took some money that wasn't his, you know." Mrs. Cragg was drawing freely on her imagination.
"You don't say so!"
"Yes, I do. And got turned off—so he had to go away. That's why they came here. Nice sort of people, eh? I found it out by accident. It isn't easy to throw dust in my eyes. I suspected from the first, and one day it came out. It don't matter how. Pattie only wanted me not to tell."
"Well, if I was you, I shouldn't like that young woman to be with Dot. Dishonesty is catching. You'll have Dot infected."
"That's Cragg's doing. He won't hear a word against Pattie."
"Nor against Pattie's father?"
"Won't believe a word of it. Pattie declares it isn't true."
"I should like to see Smithers behaving like that! I just should!" remarked Mrs. Smithers.