"I am not keeping on a budget now," answered Justine, with a rather
surprised glance at her mistress.

"Not; but why not?" asked the man good-naturedly. And his wife added
briskly, "Why did you stop, Justine?"

"Because Mrs. Salisbury has been ordering all this month," Justine
said. "And that, of course, makes it impossible for me to keep track
of what is spent. These last four weeks I have only been keeping an
account; I haven't attempted to keep within any limit."

"Ah, you see that's it," Kane Salisbury said triumphantly. "Of
course that's it! Well, Mrs. Salisbury will have to let you go back
to the ordering then. D'ye see, Sally? Naturally, Justine can't do a
thing while you're buying at random--"

"My dear, we have dealt with Lewis & Sons ever since we were
married," Mrs. Salisbury said, smiling with great tolerance, and in
a soothing voice, "Justine, for some reason, doesn't like Lewis &
Sons--"

"It isn't that," said the maid quickly. "It's just that it's against
the rules of the college for anyone else to do any ordering, unless,
of course, you and I discussed it beforehand and decided just what
to spend."

"You mean, unless I simply went to market for you?" asked the
mistress, in a level tone.

"Well, it amounts to that--yes."