ondered why, before things came to such a crisis, I had not
placed my balance at the bank at the disposal of the senior partner
for use on behalf of the firm. The fact was that my balance was at
the moment small. I have not yet in the course of this narrative gone
into my pecuniary position, but I may state here that it was an
inconvenient one. It was big with possibilities, but of ready cash
there was but a meager supply. My parents had been poor, but I had a
wealthy uncle. Uncles are notoriously careless of the comfort of their
nephews. Mine was no exception. He had views. He was a great believer
in matrimony, as, having married three wives--not, I should add,
simultaneously--he had every right to be. He was also of opinion that
the less money the young bachelor possessed, the better. The
consequence was that he announced his intention of giving me a
handsome allowance from the day that I married, but not an instant
before. Till that glad day I would have to shift for myself. And I am
bound to admit that--for an uncle--it was a remarkably sensible idea.
I am also of opinion that it is greatly to my credit, and a proof of
my pure and unmercenary nature, that I did not instantly put myself up
to be raffled for, or rush out into the streets and propose marriage
to the first lady I met. I was making enough with my pen to support
myself, and, be it ever so humble, there is something pleasant in a
bachelor existence, or so I had thought until very recently.

I had thus no great stake in Ukridge's chicken farm. I had contributed
a modest five pounds to the preliminary expenses, and another five
pounds after the roop incident. But further I could not go with
safety. When his income is dependent on the whims of editors and
publishers, the prudent man keeps something up his sleeve against a
sudden slump in his particular wares. I did not wish to have to make a
hurried choice between matrimony and the workhouse.

Having exhausted the subject of finance--or, rather, when I began to
feel that it was exhausting me--I took my clubs and strolled up the
hill to the links to play off a match with a sportsman from the
village. I had entered some days previously a competition for a trophy
(I quote the printed notice) presented by a local supporter of the
game, in which up to the present I was getting on nicely. I had
survived two rounds, and expected to beat my present opponent, which
would bring me into the semi-final. Unless I had bad