CHAPTER V
ACCOUNTS.
Lucy had an allowance from her father of a small sum of money every week, which she was allowed to expend for herself, in any way that her father approved. Her father had several reasons for this, and, among the others, he thought it would help Lucy to learn something about accounts. For he said, when he told her that he was going to let her have an allowance, that he must make her an account-book like Royal’s; for Royal had had an allowance, and an account-book to keep an account of it in, for a long time.
“But, father,” said Lucy, “why need I have an account-book? Why can’t you give me the money every Saturday night, and let me keep it myself?”
“For several reasons,” said her father. “In the first place, I should not always remember to pay you the money every Saturday night; and then, in the middle of the next week, we should not be quite sure whether it had been paid or not. And so, in a short time, we should get into confusion. And then, besides, I am not willing to let you have the money to keep yourself.”
“Why not, sir?” said Lucy.
“You would be very likely to lose it. You would leave it here and there about the house, as you do your playthings. Then, besides, if you had the charge and custody of your money, you would sometimes, perhaps, expend it without my approbation.”
“But I should think that, if the money was ours,” said Royal, who was standing by at this time, “we might expend it for any thing we chose.”
“True,” replied his father, “but the money isn’t yours. I don’t make you an allowance of so much money every week, but give you a credit, to be used on certain conditions; and if you take it, you take it subject to those conditions.”
“What conditions?” said Lucy.