"No; me and Ruth atween us."
"Ah, he'll raise your rent against you."
"Like em," said Ern. "They're all the same."
Somebody moved overhead.
Ern, stirred to his deeps, rose and stood, leaning his forehead on the mantel-piece, his ears aloft.
"This is a bad job, Ern," said Alf—"a shockin bad job."
"It's killin me," Ern answered with the delicious egoism of the male at such moments.
There was a lengthy silence. Then Alf spoke again—casually this time.
"She never said nothin to you about no letter, did she?"
"It's burned," replied Ernie curtly.