s. d.
Nine teas. . . . 3 6
Cream . . . . 3
Bread-and-butter . . 1 0
Marmalade. . . . 6
-----
5 3

Feeling five and threepence to be an absurdly small charge for five
adult and four infant teas, I destroyed this immediately, and made out
another, putting each item fourpence more, and the bread-and-butter
at one-and-six. I also introduced ninepence for extra teas for the
children, who had had two mugs apiece, very weak. This brought the total
to six shillings and tenpence, and I was beset by a horrible temptation
to add a shilling or two for candles; there was one young man among the
three who looked as if he would have understood the joke.

The father of the family looked at the bill, and remarked quizzically,
"Bond Street prices, eh?"

"Bond Street service," said I, curtsying demurely.

He paid it without flinching, and gave me sixpence for myself. I was
very much afraid he would chuck me under the chin; they are always
chucking barmaids under the chin in old English novels, but I have never
seen it done in real life. As they strolled down to the gate, the second
gentleman gave me another sixpence, and the nice young fellow gave me
a shilling; he certainly had read the old English novels and remembered
them, so I kept with the children. One of the ladies then asked if we
sold flowers.

"Certainly," I replied.

"What do you ask for roses?"

"Fourpence apiece for the fine ones," I answered glibly, hoping it was
enough, "thrippence for the small ones; sixpence for a bunch of sweet
peas, tuppence apiece for buttonhole carnations."

Each of the ladies took some roses and mignonette, and the gentlemen,
who did not care for carnations in the least, weakened when I approached
modestly to pin them in their coats, a la barmaid.

At this moment one of the children began to tease for a canary.

"Have you one for sale?" inquired the fond mother.

"Certainly, madam." (I was prepared to sell the cottage by this time.)

"What do you ask for them?"

Rapid calculation on my part, excessively difficult without pencil and
paper. A canary is three to five dollars in America,--that is, from
twelve shilling to a pound; then at a venture, "From ten shillings to a
guinea, madam, according to the quality of the bird."

"Would you like one for your birthday, Mar