he hours might not be excessive. The pay ... Fanny was for
ever talking of the increase in prices. My earnings, though on the up
grade, had seemed very insufficient of late. There certainly was
nothing to make me cling to our home as a place in which to carry on
my work.

'And in the matter of salary?' I said, as who should say that in such
a business it is well to glance at even the most trivial of details.

'Ah!' replied Arncliffe. 'Yes; that's a point now, isn't it? You see
the fact is I had a bit of a scene with the business side here
yesterday. We are new to each other as yet, you know--the manager and
myself. But he's a very decent fellow, and I shall soon have him
properly in hand, I'm sure of that. Meantime, of course, I have been
rather going it, you know, from his point of view. You can't get
L----, and T----, and R----, for tuppence-ha'penny, you know.'

'No, indeed, that's true,' said I, with the air of one who had tried
this game and proved its impossibility.

'No. And so, in the matter of pay I must go gently, you know, at
first. I must ca' canny for a while. I shall be able to make things
all right a little later on, you know, but just to begin with I'm
afraid I couldn't manage more than three or four hundred a year.'

I did not think it necessary to mention that my London record so far
was little more than half the lower sum mentioned. On the contrary, I
pinched my chin and said: 'Oh!' rather blankly, and without really
knowing what I said, or why I said it. I wanted to think, as a matter
of fact. But what I said was well enough.

'H'm! Yes, I see what you mean. It is poor, I know,' said Arncliffe,
in his quick, burbling way. 'But, as I say, I should hope to improve
it a little later on, you know. And, meantime, you may probably
continue to earn something outside, you know; so that two or three
hundred--say three hundred--but of course you're the best judge.'

Perhaps I was. I wonder! At all events, my mind was made up. The life
of the last few months had made it clear that I needed more money.

'Oh, I'll be very glad,' I said. 'By the way, you did mention at first
three or four, not two or three hundred.'

'Did I? Ah! Well, say three to begin with.'

I gathered it was rather difficult for the real Olympian to think at
all in figures so absurdly low. So we let it go at that, and, this
being a Friday, I agreed to start work at the office on the following
Monday.

'I shall be able to get a roo