s. d.
Nine teas . . . . 3 6
Cream . . . . 3
Bread-and-butter . . 1 0
Marmalade . . . . 6
-----
5 3
Feeling five and threepence to be an absurdly small charge for five
adult and four infant teas, I destroyed this immediately, and made
out another, putting each item fourpence more, and the bread-and-
butter at one-and-six. I also introduced ninepence for extra teas
for the children, who had had two mugs apiece, very weak. This
brought the total to six shillings and tenpence, and I was beset by
a horrible temptation to add a shilling or two for candles; there
was one young man among the three who looked as if he would have
understood the joke.
The father of the family looked at the bill, and remarked
quizzically, "Bond Street prices, eh?"
"Bond Street service," said I, curtsying demurely.
He paid it without flinching, and gave me sixpence for myself. I
was very much afraid he would chuck me under the chin; they are
always chucking barmaids under the chin in old English novels, but I
have never seen it done in real life. As they strolled down to the
gate, the second gentleman gave me another sixpence, and the nice
young fellow gave me a shilling; he certainly had read the old
English novels and remembered them, so I kept with the children.
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