206 EVERYDAY LIFE ON A 



This matter of the beef book keeps the 

 Ceylon housekeeper always in good fighting 

 trim. The beef man sends a list of his prices 

 to which for a time he adheres, but by degrees 

 he begins his system of extortion. A cent here 

 and two cents there are added on, and a few 

 lbs. of meat more than you ordered are popped 

 into the bill. These, if you are wise, you 

 promptly repudiate, and write scathing remarks 

 in your beef book (this part of the business I 

 leave to Rob). The beef man then amends 

 his ways and for a time all things go smoothly, 

 until he thinks you have forgotten, and your 

 suspicions are lulled to sleep, then once more 

 prices go up, and the quality of the meat goes 

 down, and the same old game of extortion 

 and remonstrance begins again, until your 

 patience is wearied out, and you leave him for 

 someone else, probably only to find that your 

 last case is worse than your first. When I first 

 came out I was rather surprised to find how 

 much the young men knew about the prices 

 of household goods, but I now understand how 

 a long course of trying to outwit the beef man, 

 keeps them quite au fait with the current price 

 of all they require. 



