178 GARRYOWEN 



Mrs Driscoll was another pawn in a dangerous 

 position; but the small pieces most engaging the 

 attention of our chess-player at the moment were 

 literally small pieces — half-crowns and shillings. 



She had carefully worked out the money pro- 

 blem with Mr French, and, allowing for everything 

 and fifty pounds over, to take them back to Ire- 

 land in case of disaster, there was barely three 

 pounds a week left to bring them up to the second 

 week of April. 



" Oh, bother the money! " French would say. 

 " It's not the money I'm thinking of." 



" Yes, but it's what Fm thinking of. We must 

 be economical. We should have travelled here 

 third-class, not first. You sent that order to Mr 

 Dashwood's wine-merchant for all that champagne 

 and stuff — " 



" I did, I know; but that won't have to be paid 

 for a year." 



" Well, it will have to be paid some time. How- 

 ever, I don't mind that so much. What is 

 frightening me is the small amount of actual 

 money in hand. We have four months before us 

 and only a Httle over sixty pounds for that four 

 months. Now, I want to propose something." 



" Yes? " 



" It's this. Why not give me that sixty pounds 

 to keep and pay the expenses out of? If you keep 

 it, it will be gone in a month." 



Mr French scratched his head. Then he 

 laughed. 



