‘Yes, at four and ninepence.’
‘Four and ninepence! They are four pound fifteen each.’
‘But I read that they were only ten shillings originally, and that they had been falling.’
‘Yes, they have been falling for months. But they were as high as ten pounds once. They are down at four pound fifteen now.’
‘Why on earth could the paper not say so?’
‘When a fraction is used, it always means a fraction of a pound.’
‘Good heavens! And I have to find this sum before Monday.’
‘Monday is settling day.’
‘I can’t do it, Harrison. It is impossible.’
‘Then there is the obvious alternative.’