To which she was on the point of replying: “But it has discouraged me. There have been times when——” She did not say that. There came a pause. Then she reverted to the financial side of the business.
“So somebody’s already paid nearly a hundred pounds for me.”
“Sixty, I believe. The last quarter has not been paid yet.”
(And then the idea came to her immediately—George Trant!)
“Aren’t your fees payable in advance?” she asked sharply.
“As a general rule, yes.”
“Then why did you make an exception in my case?”
“Because I know the person fairly well, and am confident of being paid soon. That’s all.”
“Is it?”
“Certainly,” he replied brusquely. “If your anonymous benefactor doesn’t pay up within the next couple of months the arrangement between you and me will terminate on the first of March. As I said before, I am not a philanthropist.”