t with the aid of a little common sense and judicious management
their affairs might be arranged more satisfactorily, said:

'We may as well make a list of all the things we must pay and buy
tomorrow. The great thing is to think out exactly what you are going
to do before you spend anything; that saves you from getting things you
don't really need and prevents you forgetting the things you MUST have.
Now, first of all, the rent; two weeks, twelve shillings.'

He took a fresh piece of paper and wrote this item down.

'What else is there that we must pay or buy tomorrow?'

'Well, you know I promised the baker and the grocer that I would begin
to pay them directly you got a job, and if I don't keep my word they
won't let us have anything another time, so you'd better put down two
shillings each for them.

'I've got that,' said Easton.

'Two and seven for the butcher. We must pay that. I'm ashamed to pass
the shop, because when I got the meat I promised to pay him the next
week, and it's nearly three weeks ago now.'

'I've put that down. What else?'

'A hundred of coal: one and six.'

'Next?'

'The instalment for the furniture and floor-cloth, twelve shillings.'

'Next?'

'We owe the milkman four weeks; we'd better pay one week on account;
that's one and two.'

'Next?'

'The greengrocer; one shilling on account.'

'Anything else?'

'We shall want a piece of meat of some kind; we've had none for nearly
three weeks. You'd better say one and six for that.'

'That's down.'

'One and nine for bread; that's one loaf a day.'

'But I've got two shillings down for bread already,' said Easton.

'Yes, I know, dear, but that's to go towards paying off what we owe,
and what you have down for the grocer and milkman's the same.'

'Well, go on, for Christ's sake, and let's get it down,' said Easton,
irritably.

'We can't say less than three shillings for groceries.'

Easton looked carefully at his list. This time he felt sure that the
item was already down; but finding he was mistaken he said nothing and
added the amount.

'Well, I've got that. What else?'

'Milk, one and two.'

'Next?'

'Vegetables, eightpence.'

'Yes.'

'Paraffin oil and firewood, sixpence.'

Again the financier scrutinized the list. He was positive that it was
down already. However, he could not find it, so the sixpence was added
to the column of figures.

'Then there's your boots; you can't go about with them old thin