, why shouldn't some of us
carry on the shop ourselves?"

The boys opened their eyes. The idea of carrying on a tuck-shop on
their own account opened a vista of such endless possibilities, that
they were quite startled.

"It ought to be easy enough if we manage properly," said Mr Stratton.
"Suppose, now, we who are here were to form a committee and decide to
run the shop, how should we begin?"

"It depends on what Robert left behind," said Percy.

"Oh, we wouldn't take over any of his stuff. No, the first thing would
be to reckon up how much we should want to start with, and either club
together or get some one to advance it. How many tarts do you suppose
are sold a day?"

"Hundreds," said Ashby.

"Well, according to Robert, about eighty. But say one hundred. That at
a penny each would be about 8 shillings for tarts. Then the ginger-
beer. Would twenty bottles do? That would be 3 shillings 4 pence,
supposing they cost 2 pence each. That's 11 shillings 4 pence. What
next? Apples? Suppose we put them down at 2 shillings 6 pence--13
shillings 10 pence. Sweets? Well, say 2 shillings 6 pence more--16
shillings 4 pence. Nuts 1 shilling--17 shillings 4 pence. It mounts
up, you see. We ought at least to have 25 or 30 shillings to start
with. Well, I happen to know somebody who would lend that amount to the
shareholders for a little time if we should want it. Now suppose we've
got our money. We ought to send to some of the best shops and market
people in the town to see what we could get our things for. As it
happens, Mrs Stratton when she was in Penchurch this morning did
inquire, and this is her report. The tarts that we should sell for a
penny we could get for three farthings each, so that on a hundred tarts
we should make a profit of 2 shillings 1 penny. And the confectioner
would send his cart up every day with fresh tarts of different kinds of
jam, and take back yesterday's stale ones at half-price. That would be
a great improvement, wouldn't it?"

"Rather," said everybody.

"Then the ginger-beer. Would you believe it, if we undertake to take
not less than twelve bottles a day daring the half we can get them for a
penny each, and might sell them for three-halfpence. That would make a
great increase in the demand, I fancy, and every bottle we can sell, we
make a dear halfpenny profit. The same with the sweets. You can get
most sorts for 9 or 10 pence a pound, and if we sell at a penny a