if they bought it before the Christmas rush. Accordingly
on the afternoon after the sale of the hare they rode into Rowington to
buy it.

It was an uncommonly cold afternoon, for a bitter east wind was blowing
hard; and when they dismounted at the door of Barker's shop, Erebus
gazed wistfully across the road at the appetizing window of Springer,
the confectioner, and said sadly:

"It's a pity it isn't Saturday and we had our 'overseering' salary. We
might have gone to Springer's and had a jolly good blow-out for once."

The Terror gazed at Springer's window thoughtfully, and said: "Yes, it
is a pity. We ought to have remembered it was Christmas-time and paid
ourselves in advance."

He followed Erebus into the shop with a thoughtful air, and seemed
somewhat absent-minded during her examination of the stoles. She was
very thorough in it; and both of them were nearly sure that she had
chosen the very best of them. The girl who was serving them made out
the bill; and the Terror drew the little bag which held the three
guineas (since it was all in silver they had been able to find no purse
of a capacity to hold it), emptied its contents on the counter, and
counted them slowly.

He had nearly finished, and the girl had nearly wrapped up the stole
when a flash of inspiration brightened his face; and he said firmly: "I
shall want five per cent. discount for cash."

"Oh, we don't do that sort of thing here," said the girl quickly.
"This is such an old-established establishment."

"I can't help that. I must have discount for cash," said the Terror
yet more firmly.

The girl hesitated; then she called Mr. Barker who, acting as his own
shop-walker, was strolling up and down with great dignity. Mr. Barker
came and she put the matter to him.

"Oh, no, sir; I'm afraid we couldn't think of it. Barker's is too old
established a house to connive at these sharp modern ways of doing
business," said Mr. Barker with a very impressive air.

The Terror looked at him with a cold thoughtful eye: "All right," he
said. "You can put the stole down to me--Master Hyacinth Dangerfield,
Colet House, Little Deeping."

He began to shovel the money back into the bag.

An expression of deep pain spread over the mobile face of Mr. Barker as
the coins began to disappear; and he said quickly: "I'm afraid we can't
do that, sir. Our terms are cash--strictly cash."

"Oh, no, they're not. My mother has had an account here for the last