"I must keep my promise. Why shouldn't he know? I don't suppose you care much now what he hears about you."
"Yes I do. I wasn't never in service before, and I don't want him to know."
"What harm can it do you?"
"Well, I don't want him to know. It is such a come down, Mrs. Hurtle."
"There is nothing to be ashamed of in that. What you have to be ashamed of is jilting him. It was a bad thing to do;—wasn't it, Ruby?"
"I didn't mean nothing bad, Mrs. Hurtle; only why couldn't he say what he had to say himself, instead of bringing another to say it for him? What would you feel, Mrs. Hurtle, if a man was to come and say it all out of another man's mouth?"
"I don't think I should much care if the thing was well said at last. You know he meant it."
"Yes;—I did know that."
"And you know he means it now?"
"I'm not so sure about that. He's gone back to Bungay, and he isn't no good at writing letters no more than at speaking. Oh,—he'll go and get somebody else now."