Page:Ragged Trousered Philanthropists.djvu/124

 said, after a pause, 'you can leave these 'ere and I'll see Mr Sweater about it and tell 'im what it will cost, and if he decides to have it done I'll let you know.'

He put the drawings aside with the air of a man who has other matters to attend to, and began to open one of several letters that were on his desk. He meant this as an intimation that the audience was at an end, and that he desired the 'hand' to retire from the presence. Owen understood, but he did not retire, because it was necessary to mention one or two other things which Rushton would have to allow for when preparing the estimate.

'Of course I should want some help,' he said. 'I should need a man occasionally, and the boy most of the time. Then there's the gold leaf—say fifteen books.'

'Don't you think it would be possible to use gold paint?'

'I'm afraid not.'

'Is there anything else?' enquired Rushton as he finished writing down these items.

'I think that's all, except a few sheets of cartridge paper for stencils and working drawings. The quantity of paint necessary for the decorative work will be very small.'

As soon as Owen was gone Rushton took up the designs and examined them attentively.

'These are all right,' he muttered. 'Good enough for anywhere. If he can paint anything like as well as this on the walls and ceiling of the room, it will stand all the looking at that anyone in the town is likely to give it.'

'Let's see,' he continued, 'He said three weeks, but he's so anxious to do the job that he's most likely under estimated the time. I'd better allow four weeks: that means about two hundred hours. Two hundred hours at eightpence—how much is that? And say he has a painter to help him half the time, one hundred hours at sixpence ha'penny.'

He consulted a ready reckoner that was on the desk.

'Time: £9 7s. 6d. Materials: fifteen books of gold, say a pound. Then there's the cartridge paper and the colours say another pound, at the outside. Boy's time? Well, he gets no wages as yet, so we needn't mention that at all. Then there's the preparing of the room. Three coats of white paint. I wish 'Unter was 'ere to give me an idea what it will cost.'

As if in answer to his wish Nimrod entered the office at that moment, and in reply to Rushton's query said that to 112