“I have the letter about the price which my nephew sent me,” said Doyle, “and I think you’ll all agree with me that he’s giving it cheap.”
“He ought to,” said Gallagher, “considering that if he doesn’t sell it to us it’s not likely he’ll sell it at all.”
“The demand for second-hand statues must be small,” said the Major.
“What he says is,” said Doyle, “that considering he’s dealing with a member of his own family he’ll let the statue go at no more than the price of the raw material, not making any charge for the work he’s putting into it. I don’t know that we can expect more than that from him.”
“You cannot, of course,” said Father McCormack.
“Let’s hear the figure,” said Gallagher.
“I should say,” said the Major, “that £10 would be a liberal offer on our part.”
“Shut up, Major,” said Dr. O’Grady. “What do you know about the price of statues? You wouldn’t get a plaster cast of a pet dog for £10.”
Doyle smiled amiably.
“There’s not a man in Ballymoy,” he said, “fonder of a joke than the Major.”