A tall, strong, brawny man was he; his wife was a remarkably tall woman, fond of gossip and of smart caps.

She would go gadding out for hours at a stretch, leaving him to get through all the work at home, the preparing meals, the serving customers.
Folks fly to new things; to do so is a propensity inherent in human nature; and Mr.Peckaby's shop flourished.

Not that he was much honoured with the complimentary "Mr."; his customers brought it out short--"Peckaby's shop." Much intimacy had appeared to exist from the first between him and Roy, so that it was surmised they had been previously acquainted.

The prices were low, the shop was close at hand, and Clay Lane flocked to it.
New things, however, like new faces, are apt to turn out no better than the old; sometimes not as good.

And thus it proved with Peckaby's shop.
From rather underselling the shops of the village, Peckaby's shop grew to increase its charges until they were higher than those of anybody else; the wares also deteriorated in value.