“Stamps!” he replied, calmly holding out his hand.
“Well, really—” I expostulated.
“Oh, halfpenny ones will do. You’re surely not so mean as to mind tenpence, are you?”
“I don’t think I’m mean, but—”
“Hand them over then, and don’t waste so much time talking,” said the little man impatiently, and so, just to get rid of him, I gave him the stamps and sat down to my letters again.
I had hardly begun when he came back.
“Don’t you take any other newspapers than these?” he demanded, showing me a handful.
“No, I don’t, and I think it’s rather extravagant of me to have those,” I replied.
“Well, then, how do you suppose that I am going to manage? I want at least five other papers, and it’s most important that I should have them.”
“You might buy them,” I suggested.