Eola brought the conversation back to the business of the morning and began to discuss the lunch and dinner. Ramachetty and the cook were called, and the orders for the day given. She sat down at her writing table and entered the daily marketing account in the book kept for that purpose. The butler stood at her elbow on the right and Mrs. Hulver took up her position on the left. There was never any deviation from this little domestic ritual. The butler proceeded with his list of purchases; firewood, ghee, soup-meat, mutton, potatoes, fish, eggs, naming the price of each. Once Mrs. Hulver coughed, and he corrected himself, taking off half an anna. At another item she moved from one foot to the other, but remained silent. He paused, and as the warning note of the cough was not sounded, he passed on to the next entry, letting the overcharge, which was very small, stand. "Carrots, two annas," he continued. "Carrots!" ejaculated Mrs. Hulver sharply. "Carrots, two annas," repeated the butler, sticking manfully to his story. "Fetch them!" The cook who was waiting behind the butler ran off to the kitchen and returned with four limp dry roots which he exhibited with many misgivings. "Six-day-old carrots," commented Mrs. Hulver, with fine scorn. "They were entered in the account last Friday. Cross off 'carrots, two annas,' please, miss." The butler accepted the correction without another word, and proceeded to the end of his list. Eola would willingly have dispensed with some of the details, but Mrs. Hulver was inexorable. "It must be done, miss," she had said in reply. "As long as you can hold a pen you must take down the daily account. If by any chance you were ill then I should be obliged to do it; but Ramachetty and I shall remain better friends if I have nothing to do with the bookkeeping." "You have something to do with it, Mrs. Hulver. You check his attempts at cheating." "I keep them down to reasonable proportions. As William--that was my second (he was a very straight-minded man)--used to say: 'Keep others honest and they'll keep you up to the mark.'" When the accounts were finished and the butler and cook dismissed, Eola turned to her housekeeper. "Mrs. Hulver!" she said. "Yes, miss." There was a slight pause, during which Eola turned back again to the writing-table. The pen was still in her hand and wet with ink. In absence of mind she dotted the margin of the account book, her thoughts far away. "Yes, miss," repeated Mrs. Hulver, whose grey eyes searched Eola's face. "Ah! yes! What was I going to say? Oh! I know. I wanted to tell you that we have a visitor coming." Mrs. Hulver was not so easily deceived. Miss Wenaston had not forgotten the subject of her communication, and the news she was about to impart was no news to her housekeeper. "Who is it?" asked Mrs. Hulver, innocently.