Beeton cheats you, now that you can't go through the
housekeeping books every month. Isn't that true?"
"You'd better come and housekeep for me then, Bessie."
"Couldn't do it in these chambers--you know that as well as I do."
"I know, but we might go somewhere else, if you thought it worth your while."
"I'd try to look after you, anyhow; but I shouldn't care to have to work for
both of us." This was tentative.
Dick laughed.
"Do you remember where I used to keep my bank-book?" said he. "Torp took it to
be balanced just before he went away. Look and see."
"It was generally under the tobacco-jar. Ah!"
"Well?"
"Oh! Four thousand two hundred and ten pounds nine shillings and a penny! Oh
my!"
"You can have the penny. That's not bad for one year's work. Is that and a
hundred and twenty pounds a year good enough?"
The idleness and the pretty clothes were almost within her reach now, but she
must, by being housewifely, show that she deserved them.
"Yes; but you'd have to move, and if we took an inventory, I think we"d find
that Mr. Beeton has been prigging little things out of the rooms here and
there. They don't look as full as they used."
"Never mind, we'll let him have them. The only thing I"m particularly anxious
to take away is that picture I used you for--when you used to swear at me.
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