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tears of vexation behind his spectacles. "Why had he left the crystal in
the window so long? The folly of it!" That was the trouble closest in
his mind. For a time he could see no way of evading sale.
After supper his step-daughter and step-son smartened themselves up and
went out and his wife retired upstairs to reflect upon the business
aspects of the crystal, over a little sugar and lemon and so forth in
hot water. Mr. Cave went into the shop, and stayed there until late,
ostensibly to make ornamental rockeries for goldfish cases but really
for a private purpose that will be better explained later. The next day
Mrs. Cave found that the crystal had been removed from the window, and
was lying behind some second-hand books on angling. She replaced it in a
conspicuous position. But she did not argue further about it, as a
nervous headache disinclined her from debate. Mr. Cave was always
disinclined. The day passed disagreeably. Mr. Cave was, if anything,
more absent-minded than usual, and uncommonly irritable withal. In the
afternoon, when his wife was taking her customary sleep, he removed the
crystal from the window again.
The next day Mr. Cave had to deliver a consignment of dog-fish at one of
the hospital schools, where they were needed for dissection. In his
absence Mrs. Cave's mind reverted to the topic of the crystal, and the
methods of expenditure suitable to a windfall of five pounds. She had
already devised some very agreeable expedients, among others a dress of
green silk for herself and a trip to Richmond, when a jangling of the
front door bell summoned her into the shop. The customer was an
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