He Ran A Pencil Down The Figures.
Then He Consulted The Price List On The Menu And Examined The Label
On The Neck Of The Wine Bottle, And Then He Gave A Long Whistle.
"What's The Trouble?" Asked One Of Us.
"Oh, not much!" he said.
"We had a bottle of wine priced at
eighteen francs and they have merely charged us twenty-four francs
for it - six francs overcharge on that one item alone. The total
for the sandwiches should have been six francs, and it is put down
at ten francs. And here, away down at the bottom, I find a
mysterious entry of four francs, which seems to have no bearing
on the case at all - unless it be that they just simply need the
money. I expected to be skinned somewhat, but I object to being
peeled. I'm afraid, at the risk of appearing mercenary, that we'll
have to ask our friend for a recount."
He beckoned the waiter to him and fired a volley of rapid French
in the waiter's face. The waiter batted his eyes and shrugged his
shoulders; then reversing the operation he shrugged his eyelids
and batted his shoulderblades, meantime endeavoring volubly to
explain. Our friend shoved the check into his hands and waved him
away. He was back again in a minute with the account corrected.
That is, it was corrected to the extent that the wine item had
been reduced to twenty-one francs and the sandwiches to eight
francs.
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