The House That Berry Built [antikvár]

THE HOUSE THAT BERRY BUILT CHAPTER I IN WHICH WE REMOVE TO THE HILLS, AND BERRY PULLS HIS TANDING by Berry's shoulder, I threw a glance round the chamber I knew so well. The book-lined walls, the chiselled mantelpiece; the original, elegant ceiling; the three, fair windows, whose upper lights were badged with coats of arms ; the built-in reader's stall, the little pulpit-staircase; the rugs and the summer cretonnes, the polished furniture; the tulips peering out of their Lowestoft bowls—I looked upon these things and found them valuable. So, I knew, did the others, but their eyes were upon the ground. Daphne was sitting back in an easy chair : Jill was perched on its arm—her hand, I knew, was in Daphne's, holding it tight: Jonah was standing behind them, grave-faced with folded arms. Lord Atlas looked at Berry, sitting behind the carved table, pencil in hand. " As I see it, Major Pleydell, the exact position is this. When you and your cousins inherited White Ladies, the cost of main- taining the place as your father and his brother had maintained it was less than three thousand a year. To-day it is nearly eight thousand—eight thousand pounds." Berry nodded. " That's right," he said. " Very nearly three times as much. The average cost of maintenance for the last three years was seven thousand eight hundred and sixty pounds. That's sparing no expense: but we never have spared expense where White Ladies was concerned." " Your books show that." Lord Atlas cleared his throat. " And now the time has come when you and your cousins are really no longer able to find this very large sum." " I'm afraid that's so. But I think that I should say this— WEIGHT