heavy, and slow, and it seemed that, for once, the Sergeant had even
forgotten to put on his imaginary spurs.

CHAPTER XV

_In which Adam explains_

"Adam!"

"Yes, Miss Anthea."

"How much money did Mr. Bellew give you to--buy the furniture?"

Miss Anthea was sitting in her great elbow chair, leaning forward with
her chin in her hand, looking at him in the way which always seemed to
Adam as though she could see into the verimost recesses of his mind.
Therefore Adam twisted his hat in his hands, and stared at the ceiling,
and the floor, and the table before Miss Anthea, and the wall behind
Miss Anthea--anywhere but at Miss Anthea.

"You ax me--how much it were, Miss Anthea?"

"Yes, Adam."

"Well,--it were a goodish sum."

"Was it--fifty pounds?"

"Fifty pound!" repeated Adam, in a tone of lofty disdain, "no, Miss
Anthea, it were _not_ fifty pound."

"Do you mean it was--more?"

"Ah!" nodded Adam, "I mean as it were a sight more. If you was to take
the fifty pound you mention, add twenty more, and then another twenty to
that, and then come ten more to that,--why then--you'd be a bit nigher
the figure--"

"A hundred pounds!" exclaimed Anthea, aghast.

"Ah! a hundred pound!" nodded Adam, rolling the words upon his tongue
with great gusto,--"one--hundred--pound, were the sum, Miss Anthea."

"Oh, Adam!"

"Lord love you, Miss Anthea!--that weren't nothing,--that were only a
flea-bite, as you might say,--he give more--ah! nigh double as much as
that for the side-board."

"Nonsense, Adam!"

"It be gospel true, Miss Anthea. That there sideboard were the plum o'
the sale, so to speak, an' old Grimes had set 'is 'eart on it, d'ye see.
Well, it were bid up to eighty-six pound, an' then Old Grimes 'e goes
twenty more, making it a hundred an' six. Then--jest as I thought it
were all over, an' jest as that there Old Grimes were beginning to swell
hisself up wi' triumph, an' get that red in the face as 'e were a sight
to behold,--Mr. Belloo, who'd been lightin' 'is pipe all this time, up
and sez,--'Fifty up!' 'e sez in his quiet way, making it a hundred an'
fifty-six pound, Miss Anthea,--which were too much for Grimes,--Lord! I
thought as that there man were going to burst, Miss Anthea!" and Adam
gave vent to his great laugh at the mere recollection. But Anthea was
grave enough, and the troubled look in her eyes quickly sobered him.

"A hundred and fifty-six pounds!" she repeated in an awed voice, "but
it