’Come, come, old friend; that’s speaking feelingly.  You shouldn’t try me in that way, you know.  I shouldn’t like to suggest a pint, with a scrap of cheese.  Eh?  No, no; follow your own counsel, boy; half a pint be it.’

But the suggestion was accepted.  Then at length it occurred to Hood that time must be wearing away; he spoke of the obligation he was under to finish his business and return to Dunfield as soon as possible.  Cheeseman declared himself the last man to stand in the way of business.  They left the eating-house and walked together part of the way to the office of Legge Brothers.

‘Old friend, I’m grateful to you,’ said Cheeseman, when at length they parted.  ’I’ve got your address, and you shall hear from me; I’ve a notion it won’t be so long before we meet again.  In any case it’s another day to look back upon; I little thought of it when I spent twopence-halfpenny on my breakfast this morning and left sixpence for dinner.  It’s a rum world, eh, Hood?  Good-bye, and God bless you!’

Hood hurried on to the office, received his reply, and proceeded to the station.  He had more than half an hour to wait for a train.  He took a seat in the waiting-room, and began to examine the money in his pocket, to ascertain exactly the sum he would have to replace.  The deficit amounted to a little less than eighteen shillings.  After all, it was very unlikely that Dagworthy would offer to bear the expense of the lost hat.  Say that a pound had to be restored.

He was in the comfortable mood, following upon unusual indulgence of the appetite, in which the mind handles in a free and easy way the thoughts it is wont to entertain with unquestionable gravity; when it has, as it were, a slippery hold on the facts of life, and constructs a subjective world of genial accommodations.  A pound to restore; on the other hand, nine pounds in pocket.  The sight of the sovereigns was working upon his imagination, already touched to a warmer life than was its habit.  Nine pounds would go a long way towards solving the financial difficulties of the year; it would considerably more than replace the lacking rent of the house in Barnhill; would replace it, and pay as well the increased rent of the house at Banbrigg for twelve months to come.  Looked at in this way, the money became a great temptation.

His wife—­how explain to her such a windfall?  For it was of course impossible to use it secretly.  There was a way, seemingly of fate’s providing.  If only he could bring himself to the lie direct and shameless.

After all, a lie that would injure no mortal.  As far as Dagworthy was concerned, the money had long since become the property of nobody; Dagworthy did not even know that this sum existed; if ever missed, it must have been put out of mind long ago.  And very possibly it had never belonged to Dagworthy; some cashier or other clerk might just as well have lost it.  Hood played with these speculations.