Page:Gissing - The Nether World, vol. II, 1889.djvu/60

 by picturing himself the parson of the parish. But the topic under discussion was a serious one, and Jane speedily recovered her gravity.

“Yes, I see how hard it is,” she said.

“But it’s a cruel thing for him to neglect poor Pennyloaf as he does. She never gave him any cause.”

“Not knowingly, I quite believe,” replied Kirkwood. “But what a miserable home it is!”

“Yes.” Jane shook her head. “She doesn’t seem to know how to keep things in order. She doesn’t seem even to understand me when I try to show her how it might be different.”

“There’s the root of the trouble, Jane. What chance had Pennyloaf of ever learning how to keep a decent home, and bring up her children properly? How was she brought up? The wonder is that there’s so much downright good in her; I feel the same wonder about people every day. Suppose Pennyloaf behaved as badly as her mother