Mme. Oreille was a very economical woman; she knew the value of a centime, and
possessed a whole storehouse of strict principles with regard to the multiplication of
money, so that her cook found the greatest difficulty in making what the servants call
their market-penny, and her husband was hardly allowed any pocket money at all. They
were, however, very comfortably off, and had no children; but it really pained Mme.
Oreille to see any money spent; it was like tearing at her heartstrings when she had to
take any of those nice crown-pieces out of her pocket; and whenever she had to spend
anything, no matter how necessary it might be, she slept badly the next night.
Oreille was continually saying to his wife:
"You really might be more liberal, as we have no children, and never spend our income."
"You don't know what may happen," she used to reply. "It is better to have too much than
too little."
She was a little woman of about forty, very active, rather hasty, wrinkled, very neat and
tidy, and with a very short temper.
Her husband frequently complained of all the privations she made him endure; some of
them were particularly painful to him, as they touched his vanity.
He was one of the head clerks in the War Office, and only stayed on there in obedience to
his wife's wish, to increase their income which they did not nearly spend.
For two years he had always come to the office with the same old patched umbrella, to
the great amusement of his fellow clerks. At last he got tired of their jokes, and insisted
upon his wife buying him a new one. She bought one for eight francs and a half, one of
those cheap articles which large houses sell as an advertisement. When the men in the
office saw the article, which was being sold in Paris by the thousand, they began their
jokes again, and Oreille had a dreadful time of it. They even made a song about it, which
he heard from morning till night all over the immense building.
Oreille was very angry, and peremptorily told his wife to get him a new one, a good silk
one, for twenty francs, and to bring him the bill, so that he might see that it was all right.
She bought him one for eighteen francs, and said, getting red with anger as she gave it to
her husband:
"This will last you for five years at least."
Oreille felt quite triumphant, and received a small ovation at the office with his new
acquisition.
