beg of you to satisfy
me.

_A_.--But I desire you to excuse me, for it is what I never do--I cannot
do it.

_B_.--But, sir, I am in a great strait; I am just selling him a great
parcel of goods, and I am willing to sell them too, and yet I am willing
to be safe, as you would yourself, if you were in my case.

_A_.--I tell you, sir, I have always resolved to forbear meddling with
the characters of my neighbours--it is an ill office. Besides, I mind my
own business; I do not enter into the inquiries after other people's
affairs.

_B_.--Well, sir, I understand you, then; I know what I have to do.

_A_.--What do you mean by that?

_B_.--Nothing, sir, but what I suppose you would have me understand by
it.

_A_.--I would have you understand what I say--namely, that I will
meddle with nobody's business but my own.

_B_.--And I say I understand you; I know you are a good man, and a man
of charity, and loth to do your neighbours any prejudice, and that you
will speak the best of every man as near as you can.

_A_.--I tell you, I speak neither the best nor the worst--I speak
nothing.

_B_.--Well, sir, that is to say, that as charity directs you to speak
well of every man, so, when you cannot speak well, you refrain, and will
say nothing; and you do very well, to be sure; you are a very kind
neighbour.

_A_.--But that is a base construction of my words; for I tell you, I do
the like by every body.

_B_.--Yes, sir, I believe you do, and I think you are in the right of
it--am fully satisfied.

_A_.--You act more unjustly by me than by my neighbour; for you take my
silence, or declining to give a character, to be giving an ill
character.

_B_.--No, sir, not for an ill character.

_A_.--But I find you take it for a ground of suspicion.

_B_.--I take it, indeed, for a due caution to me, sir; but the man may
be a good man for all that, only--

_A_.--Only what? I understand you--only you won't trust him with your
goods.

_B_.--But another man may, sir, for all that, so that you have been kind
to your neighbours and to me too, sir--and you are very just. I wish all
men would act so one by another; I should feel the benefit of it myself
among others, for I have suffered deeply by ill tongues, I am sure.

_A_.--Well, however unjust you are to me, and to my neighbour too, I
will not undeceive you at present; I think you do not deserve it.

He used a great many more words with him to convince him that he did not