“You won’t believe all you may happen to hear against the working people now?”
“I never did.”
“There are ill-conditioned, cross-grained, low-minded, selfish, unbelieving people amongst them. God knows it. But there are ladies and gentlemen amongst them too.”
“That old man is a gentleman.”
“He is. And the only way to teach them all to be such, is to be such to them. The man who does not show himself a gentleman to the working people—why should I call them the poor? some of them are better off than many of the rich, for they can pay their debts, and do it—”
I had forgot the beginning of my sentence.
“You were saying that the man who does not show himself a gentleman to the poor—”
“Is no gentleman at all—only a gentle without the man; and if you consult my namesake old Izaak, you will find what that is.”
“I will look. I know your way now. You won’t tell me anything I can find out for myself.”
“Is it not the best way?”