"Money! But it is not I who keeps the purse, but you."
"Not at all! It is you who are charged with the financial department."
"But I assure you," said Marcel, "I have no money."
"Can there be no more? It is impossible! We can't have spent five hundred francs in eight days, especially living with the most rigid economy as we have done, and confining ourselves to absolute necessaries: [absolute superfluities, he should have said]. We must look over our accounts; and we shall find where the mistake is."
"Yes, but we shan't find where the money is. However, let us see the account-book, at any rate."
And this is the way they kept their accounts which had been begun under the auspices of Saint Economy:
"March 19. Received 500 francs. Paid, a Turkish pipe, 25 fr.; dinner, 15 fr.; sundries, 40 fr."
"What are those sundries?" asked Rodolphe of Marcel, who was reading.
"You know very well," replied the other, "that night when we didn't go home till morning. We saved fuel and candles by that."
"Well, afterwards?"