In two days old Jack was known as a landlord all about. On the third
day, which was Saturday, young Jack called to borrow half a sovereign,
but succeeded only to the extent of five shillings: work was slack with
him, and three days of it was all he had had that week. This had
happened before, and he had got on as best he could; but now, with a
father buying house-property, it was absurd to economize for lack of
half a sovereign. When he brought the five shillings home, his wife
asked why he had not thrown them at his father's head: a course of
procedure which, young Jack confessed, had never occurred to his mind.
"Stingy old 'unks!" she scolded. "A-goin' about buyin' 'ouses, an' won't
lend 'is own son ten shillin's! Much good may all 'is money do 'im with
'is 'ateful mean ways!" This was the beginning of old Jack's
estrangement from his relatives. For young Jack's missis expressed her
opinion in other places, and young Jack was soon ready to share it:
rigidly abstaining from another attempt at a loan, though he never
repaid the five shillings.
In the course of the succeeding week two of his shopmates took old Jack
aside at different times to explain that the loan of a pound or two
would make the greatest imaginable difference to the whole course of
their future lives, while the temporary absence of the money would be
imperceptible to a capitalist like himself. When he roundly declared
that he had as few loose sovereigns as themselves, he was set down as an
uncommon liar as well as a wretched old miser. This was the beginning of
old Jack's unpopularity in the workshop.