a pecuniary perspective

Excerpted from J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan:

Wendy came first, then John, then Michael.

For a week or two after Wendy came, it was doubtful whether they would be able to keep her, as she was another mouth to feed. Mr. Darling was frightfully proud of her, but he was very honorable, and he sat on the edge of Mrs. Darling's bed, holding her hand and calculating expenses while she looked at him imploringly. She wanted to risk it, come what might, but that was not his way; his way was with a pencil and a piece of paper, and if she confused him with suggestions, he had to begin at the beginning again.

"Now don't interrupt," he would beg of her. "I have one pound, seventeen here, and two and six at the office; I can cut off my coffee at the office, say ten shillings, making two, nine, and six. With your eighteen and three makes three nine seven, with five naught naught in my chequebook makes eight nine seven--who is that moving?--eight nine seven, dot and carry seven--don't speak, my own--and the pounds you lent to that man who came to the door--quiet, child!--dot and carry the child--there, now you've done it!--did I say nine nine seven? Yes, I said nine nine seven; the question is, can we try it for a year on nine nine seven?"

"Of course we can, George," she cried, but she was prejudiced in Wendy's favor, and he was really the grander character of the two.

"Remember mumps," he warned her almost threateningly, and off he went again. "Mumps, one pound. That is what I have put down, but I daresay it will be more like thirty shillings--don't speak--measles, one five, German measles, half a guinea, makes two fifteen six--don't waggle your finger--whooping cough, say fifteen shillings..." And so on it went, and it added up differently each time; but at last Wendy just got through, with mumps reduced to twelve six and the other kinds of measles treated as one.

There was the same excitement over John, and Michael had even a narrower squeak; but both were kept, and soon you might have seen the three of them going in a row to Miss Fulsom's Kindergarten School, accompanied by their nurse.