MS-WU-MSS008-3-50-2

[3689] silent for some time. [3690] And if you can't find one second-hand, I said at
last, what will you do? [3691] You didn't tell me, he said. [3692] What a restful
change it is from time to time, a little dialogue. [3693] How much money did
I give you? I said. [3694] He counted the notes. [3695] Four pounds ten, he said.
[3696] Count them again, I said. [3697] He counted them again. [3698] Four pounds ten, he
said. [3699] Give it to me, I said. [3700] He gave me the notes and I counted them.

[3701] Four pounds ten. [3702] I gave you five, I said. [3703] He did not answer, he let
the figures speak for themselves. [3704] Had he stolen ten shillings and hidden
them on his person? [3705] Empty your pockets, I said. [3706] He began to empty them.
[3707] It must not be forgotten that all this time I was lying down. [3708] He did not
know I was ill. [3709] Besides I was not ill. [3710] I looked vaguely at the objects
he was spreading out before me.

[3711] He took them out of his pockets one by
one, held them up delicately between finger and thumb, turned them this
way ^and that before my eyes and laid them finally on the ground beside me.
[3712] When a pocket was emptied he pulled out its lining and shook it. [3713] Then a
little cloud of dust arose. [3714] I was very soon overcome by the absurdity of
this verification. [3715] I told him to stop.

[3716] Perhaps he was hiding the ten
shillings up his sleeve, or in his mouth. [3717] I should have had to get up and
search him myself, inch by inch. [3718] But then he would have seen I was ill.
[3719] Not that I was exactly ill. [3720] And why did I not want him to know I was ill?
[3721] I don't know. [3722] I could have counted the money I had left. [3723] But what use
would that have been? [3724] Did I even know the amount I had brought with me?

[3725] No. [3726] To me too I cheerfully applied the maieutic method. [3727] Did I know how
much I had spent? [3728] No. [3729] Usually I kept the most rigorous accounts when
away on business and was in a position to justify my expenditure down to
the last penny. [3730] This time no. [3731] For I was throwing my money away with as
little concern as if I had been travelling for my pleasure. [3732] Let us suppose
I am wrong, I said, and that I only gave you four pounds ten. [3733] He was