"I simply _loathe_ it," she declared. "Such a silly thing, I call
it! Why should one spend _hours_ in trying to find out how many
yards of carpet it takes to cover the schoolroom floor, when all one
has to do is to run through Tod Lane and ask Mr. Small, who keeps the
shop, and he can tell in a moment, without even looking at a book."
"But suppose Mr. Small thought it to his advantage to sell you more
carpet than you needed?"
"Why, he wouldn't do such a thing," she indignantly replied; "he is a
churchwarden."
There was another short silence and then she began again: "Ten
shillings is a lot of money."