We saw Mr. Perry into his tram, and started to walk through the town. My observation as to the behaviour and appearance of the well-dressed people was confirmed. The men slouched along with their hands in their pockets, and the women, although they wore fine clothes, had a very ungraceful bearing. The most expensively dressed were the worst in this respect, and the poorer sort of people hustled them off the pavements and treated them with every mark of contempt. As we were going through a narrow street between two wide ones, a stout old lady, covered with jewels, and dressed in heliotrope velvet, with some beautiful lace on her gown and enormous ostrich feathers in her hat, walked in the gutter by my side, and said in the hoarse whine of a beggar: "Do take a sovereign from a rich woman, kind gentleman. I 'aven't lef' off eating for two days, and the larder's full at 'ome." I was about to comply with her request, for I have no prejudices against indiscriminate charity, but young Perry told her to be off, or he'd give her in charge. She slunk away to where a carriage with two fine horses and a coachman and footman was standing at the end of the street, and drove off. "These beggars are becoming a regular pest," said Perry. "It is because we have old clothes on. There are _some_ compensations in going about like a rich man." "Could I buy a few clothes cheap?" I asked him. "I want to do the thing thoroughly while I am with you." He laughed at me. "I don't know why you should want to buy them _cheap_," he said. "But, of course, you can get what you want. Do you really mean you would like to be dressed like a rich man?" "Yes, I should," I said. "I should like to have quite a large new wardrobe." "I think you're splendid!" he said admiringly. "I only hope you won't regret it when you come to experience actual wealth." "I hope not," I said modestly. "But whatever it costs me I am prepared to carry it through, and I should like to begin at once." "Well, you might get what you want to play your part at the Stores. Then, if you want to do the thing thoroughly, later on you can go to a good tailor and bootmaker, and so on, and have things made for you." I said the Stores would do for the present. I was not quite clear in my mind as yet how the question of payment would work out, but it did not seem to be difficult to get hold of money in Culbut. However, as a precautionary measure, I asked the price of the first article shown me, which was a ready-made flannel suit--dark green with a purple stripe in it, quite smart-looking. The shopman looked at a secret mark on the label, and said: "Three pounds." "Oh, come now!" said Perry at once. "We're not paupers, you know. You can't treat us in that way." The man explained that the material wore exceptionally badly for that class of goods; but to us he would make it three pounds ten. "Not a penny less than four pounds," said Perry, and I confounded his officiousness.