One day the boy discovered that a small brown volume, the Phaedo of Plato, had disappeared from one of the shelves in the shop.
“I bartered it yesterday, beloved one, in exchange for seven shillings and sixpence in silver,” said his father in reply to his inquiries.
This unexpected and disconcerting answer made many anxious questions necessary.
“Why, my father, for what reason?” said the boy.
“In order to provide the means of life, beloved one,” said his father.
“The means of life, my father?” said the boy.
“The food we eat,” said his father. “Our clothes, the roof that protects us, the coals for the fire in the winter months.”
“Are all these things obtained with pieces of silver, my father?”
“Yes, beloved. We are called upon to pay in substance for all that we enjoy.”
The boy grew profoundly silent for a while.