"It's a splendid idea, and I should like nothing better; but, of course,
in our case, it is out of the question. We've both subscribed to the
Hutchings' testimonial, and there's not a penny in sight for me this
side of Christmas, and no more there is for you."
He admitted this, but said, because there wasn't a penny in sight, it
didn't follow we might not, by some unheard-of deeds, rake up the money
in time. And I said, well knowing what five shillings meant, that the
deeds would certainly have to be unheard-of. I said:
"There's a fortnight before you have to send in the money, but, so far
as I am concerned, it might just as well be ten years."
And he said:
"The problem simply is: How to raise five shillings out of nothing in
fourteen days."
And I said:
"Yes."
And he said:
"It sounds simple enough."
And I said:
"The hardest problems often do."
In two days he had got a shilling, by selling a thing he greatly valued.
It was a tie his mother had given him, and it was made of sheeny silk,
and changed colour according to which way you looked at it. His mother
had given half a crown for it, and Percy wore it on Sundays only.
It was Sutherland who gave the money; and that still left four
shillings, and Percy minimus hadn't got another thing in the world worth
twopence. He then tried writing home, and failed. He said his father
was out of work, and, though a very generous and kind father as a rule,
not just now. His mother also failed him. She wrote sorrowfully, but
said that she and his father had done everything about the War they
could for the present. He then wrote to his godmother, and got a
shilling. Encouraged by this, he wrote to his godfather, who didn't
answer the letter.
Fourpence had gone on stamps for these four letters, and he was
accordingly left with one and eightpence. Subtracting this from five
shillings, you will find he still had to raise three shillings and
fourpence.
It looked hopeless, and I pointed out there was the additional danger
that he might be accused of getting money under false pretences if he
didn't collect the lot; but he did not fear that, because, as he said,
whatever he might get, he could send to some other charity which was
open to take less than five shillings.
There were now seven days left, and he began to get very fidgetty and
wretched. He said he was always seeing in his mind's eye a Tommy in the
trenches waiting and watching and hoping, between his fights, that Percy
minimus would send him one of those grand simultaneous packets. It got
on his nerves after a bit, and twice he woke me in the dead of the night
in our dormitory sniffing very loud.