'How is her father?' 'Neither better nor worse. That man will take another ten years over his dying--see if he doesn't. Well, we've got used to it. We're neither of us young any longer; we've lost the best part of our lives. And all for what? Because we hadn't money enough to take a house three times bigger than we needed! Two lives wasted because we couldn't feed fifty other people for whom we didn't care a damn! Doesn't it come to that?' 'No doubt. What does Denbow ask?' 'For the stock, two hundred pounds; shop-fittings, fifty; business as it stands, say three hundred. The rent is ninety-five. Floor above the shop let to a family, who pay twenty-four shillings a week--a substantial set-off against the rent; but I should like to get rid of the people, and use the whole house for business purposes. There's three years of Denbow's lease to run, but this, he says, the landlord would be willing to convert into a seven years' lease to a new tenant. Then one must allow something for repairs and so on at the fresh start. Well, with purchase of a little new stock, say another hundred and fifty pounds. Roughly speaking, I ought to have about five hundred pounds to settle the affair.' 'And you have the money?' 'Not quite; I've got--well, I may say three hundred. I'm not speaking of my own private income; of course, that goes on as usual, and isn't a penny too much for--for ordinary expenses..' He fidgeted again. 'Would you care to know how I made this bit of capital?' 'If you care to tell me.'