'Please, sir,' said Naomi, 'the French chef is here, and wants a month's wages and compensation for loss, he says.'
George paused on the threshold. 'I thought Sykes was seeing to all that, and housing the people till we could settle with them?' said George.
'He says he wishes to leave this country of savages at once,' said Naomi, with a toss of her head.
'I expect there's money in the till at the mills,' said Sarah.
'I'll write him a cheque on my own bank, and I shall be thankful to eat no more of his elaborate messes,' observed George; and he did so, though the cheque was a much bigger one than he had expected, and the operation had to be repeated till most of the servants were satisfied, after which George said, with a laugh, to his sister, 'I hope Sykes and Naomi and Tom Fox won't present their bills, for, to tell the truth, I've used up all my balance, and rather more.'
'Have you paid every one else?' asked Sarah.
'Yes; and I had no idea we had such an army to wait upon us. You've no idea what the total comes to,' said George, as he ruefully totalled it up.
'There must be lots of money somewhere,' said Sarah vaguely.
'Ah, now you begin to understand what poverty means,' said George. 'It's not quite so lovely, is it, after all?'
Sarah did not choose to answer this taunt, and was saved from the necessity of doing so by the announcement that Tom Fox and Sykes the butler were outside.