I bent forward for a moment, struggling for breath.
“Sufficient for your purpose?” I asked. “But where did you get it?”
“Oh, I’ve always saved a bit,” she said, “and taken good advice, and I bought an annuity yesterday morning.”
“An annuity?” I repeated. “You’ve saved enough for that?”
“Yes, and a little more,” she said, “to play about with.”
“But, my dear mother,” I said, “what did you save it out of?”
“Out of my housekeeping money,” she said. “I made it rather a hobby.”
I rose to my feet again.
“Then what it amounts to,” I said, “is that you’ve been robbing my poor father.”
“I think not,” she said, “though you can consult Mr. Balfour Whey, of course. But you must remember that I’ve had no wages.”