It is painful to be compelled to reinforce the old masculine statement
that women have no sense of honour. But have they? Helen clearly saw
that he had hauled down his flag. Yet did she cease firing? Not a bit.
She gave him a shattering broadside, well knowing that he had
surrendered. Her disregard of the ethics of warfare was deplorable.

"Two pounds and one half-penny--to the nearest farthing," said she, a
faint blush crimsoning her cheek.

Mr. Ollerenshaw glanced round at the bowling-green, where the captain in
vain tried to catch his eye, and then at the groups of children playing
on the lower terraces.

"I make no doubt ye can play the piano?" he remarked, when he had
recovered.

"Certainly," she replied. "Not that we have to teach the piano. No! But
it's understood, all the same, that one or another of us can play
marches for the children to walk and drill to. In fact," she added, "for
something less than thirty shillings a week we do pretty nearly
everything, except build the schools. And soon they'll be expecting us
to build the new schools in our spare time." She spoke bitterly, as a
native of the Congo Free State might refer to the late King of the
Belgians.

"Thirty shillings a _wik_!" said James, acting with fine histrionic
skill. "I thought as you said seventy-two pounds a month!"

"Oh no, you didn't!" she protested, firmly. "So don't try to tease me. I
never joke about money. Money's a very serious thing."