’No, dear, we must not lose it.  Suppose we invest it in one of those modern fifty-guinea pianos.  Our dear old Broadwood was an excellent piano when I was a girl, but it is getting so squeaky in the upper notes.  Perhaps they would allow us something for it.’

He shook his head.

’I know that we want one very badly, dear.  And such a musician as you are should have the best instrument that money can buy.  I promise you that when we have a little to turn round on, you shall have a beauty.  But in the meantime we must not buy anything with this money—­I mean nothing for ourselves—­we must invest it.  We cannot tell what might happen.  I might fall ill.  I might die.’

‘O Frank, how horrid you are this morning!’

’Well, we have to be ready for anything.  So I want to put this where we can get it on an emergency, and where in the meantime it will bring us some interest.  Now what shall we buy?’

‘Papa always bought a house.’

‘But we have not enough.’

‘Not a little house?’

‘No, not the smallest.’

‘A mortgage, then?’

‘The sum is too small.’

‘Government stock, Frank—­if you think it is safe.’

‘Oh, it is safe enough.  But the interest is so low.’

‘How much should we get?’

’Well, I suppose the fifty pounds would bring us in about thirty shillings a year.’

‘Thirty shillings!  O Frank!’

‘Rather less than more.’

’Fancy a great rich nation like ours taking our fifty pounds and treating us like that.  How mean of them!  Don’t let them have it, Frank.’

‘No, I won’t.’

‘If they want it, they can make us a fair offer for it.’

‘I think we’ll try something else.’

’Well, they have only themselves to thank.  But you have some plan in your head, Frank.  What is it?’

He brought the morning paper over from the table.  Then he folded it so as to bring the financial columns to the top.

’I saw a fellow in the City yesterday who knows a great deal about gold-mining.  I only had a few minutes’ talk, but he strongly advised me to have some shares in the El Dorado Proprietary Gold Mine.’

‘What a nice name!  I wonder if they would let us have any?’

’Oh yes, they are to be bought in the open market.  It is like this, Maude.  The mine was a very good one, and paid handsome dividends.  Then it had some misfortunes.  First, there was no water, and then there was too much water, and the workings were flooded.  So, of course, the price of the shares fell.  Now they are getting the mine all right again, but the shares are still low.  It certainly seems a very good chance to pick a few of them up.’

‘Are they very dear, Frank?’

’I looked them up in the Mining Register before I came home yesterday.  The original price of each share was ten shillings, but as they have had these misfortunes, one would expect to find them rather lower.’