"Let's get finished and away," said the grocer. "I've 'ad an addition to my family, I may tell you. A son at last after four daughters. My wife's getting up to-day and we're to 'ave a turkey for dinner. Let the woman off, I say."
"But we can't, man. Didn't you hear what the Deemster said?"
"Then let the 'uzzy 'ang."
"Are we to recommend the girl to mercy—that's the question," said the Town Commissioner.
"Why shouldn't we?" said the butcher. "Hundreds and tons of girls have done as bad before now, and nobody a penny the wiser. Why make flesh of one and fowl of another?"
"If we show mercy to women of this sort we'll only encourage them in their bad conduct," said the landowner.
This led to a random discussion on the question of Women or Men, which were the worst? The landlord was loud in denunciation of women, the butcher was more indulgent.
"Look here," said the butcher, "this isn't a game a woman can go into a corner and play all by herself, you know. For every bad woman there's a bad man knocking about somewhere."
"A man isn't always filling his house with by-children anyway," said the landowner.
"No," said the butcher, "but he is sometimes filling other people's though."