Cost of Kindness

(Excerpt): "e;Kindness,"e; argued little Mrs. Pennycoop, "e;costs nothing."e; "e;And, speaking generally, my dear, is valued precisely at cost price,"e; retorted Mr. Pennycoop, who, as an auctioneer of twenty years' experience, had enjoyed much opportunity of testing the attitude of the public towards sentiment. "e;I don't care what you say, George,"e; persisted his wife; "e;he may be a disagreeable, cantankerous old brute-I don't say he isn't. All the same, the man is going away, and we may never see him again."e; "e;If I thought there was any fear of our doing so,"e; observed Mr. Pennycoop, "e;I'd turn my back on the Church of England to-morrow and become a Methodist."e; "e;Don't talk like that, George,"e; his wife admonished him, reprovingly; "e;the Lord might be listening to you."e;