"I really don't know of any house in the village she can obtain."
Squire Collins shrugged his shoulders.
"I really haven't troubled my mind about the matter," he said.
"If I had time, I don't know but I would build them a small cottage on the vacant lot I have on Glen Street."
"Take my advice, and don't; the widow is in very precarious circumstances. Her son, Mark, is out of employment."
"Can't you find him something to do, in your shop?"
"I could, but do not feel disposed to. He is a very independent boy, and more than once, he treated my son, James, in a disrespectful way. No; he must shift for himself some other way."
"Of the two boys, I certainly very much prefer Mark," thought Mr. Thompson; but politeness prevented his saying so.
Squire Collins soon took his leave, having failed to acquire the information he sought.