"I refuse," said Berry, "to sit still and hear my soul compared to a drain at the very outset of what promises to be a toothsome repast. It might affect my appetite."
I raised my eyebrows.
"Needless anxiety again," I sighed. "I don't know what's the matter with you to-day."
"By the way," said Daphne, "I quite forgot. Did you cash your cheque?"
"I did," said her husband.
"What did they give you?" said Jill.
"Fifty-three francs to the pound."
"Fifty-three?" cried Daphne and Adèle in horror-stricken tones.
"Fifty-three francs dead. If I'd cashed it yesterday, as, but for your entreaties, I should have done, I should have got fifty-six."
"But when you found it was down, why didn't you wait?"