Next morning, in the brightness of the wintry sun he sat at the breakfast table and laughed at his fears. The day felt very different from the previous night and the dirty little paw was lying carelessly on the table which showed none of them believed in its magical powers.

"I suppose all old soldiers are the same," said Mrs White. "Why do we listen to such nonsense! How could wishes be granted these days? And if they could, how could two hundred pounds hurt you, father?"

"Might drop on his head from the sky," joked Herbert.

"Morris said that the things happened so naturally," said his father, "that you might think they were coincidences."

"Well don't spend the money before I come back," said Herbert as he rose from the table. "I'm afraid it'll turn you into a wicked [bad], greedy man."

His mother laughed, followed him to the door and watched him go down the road. She returned to the breakfast table and was very happy. The father however, kept looking at the door as though he was waiting for the postman's knock.

Later, when they sat down at lunch she said, "I think Herbert will have some more funny things to say when he comes home."

"I think so too," said Mr. White, pouring himself some beer. "But the thing really moved in my hand last night. I can swear [·￠ê?] to it."

"You only imagined it, dear," said the old lady softly.

"I am telling you it did," shouted the old man. "I am very sure about it. I had just - What's the matter?"

His wife did not reply. She was watching a man outside. The man looked uncertainly [not sure] at the house and seemed to be making up his mind whether to enter. She noticed that the stranger was well dressed and wore an expensive [costly] silk hat. He paused at the gate three times, but walked away again. The fourth time he stood with his hand on the gate and then seemed to make up his mind suddenly. He opened it and walked up the path. Mrs White at the same moment placed her hands behind her and hurriedly removed her apron [?§è1] and put it beneath the cushion [μ?×ó] of her chair.

She met the stranger at the door and brought him into the room. The stranger seemed nervous and seemed to be looking everywhere. He did not seem to listen as the old lady apologized [said sorry] for the appearance [way something looks] of the room and her husband's dirty coat which he normally wore only in the garden. She then waited patiently for him to talk, but he was at first strangely silent.

"Er, um, usually i call by telephone first," he said at last, and bent to pick a piece of cotton [?T2?] from his trousers. "I come from 'Maw and Meggins.' "

The old lady was startled. "Is anything the matter?" she asked breathlessly. "Has anything happened to Herbert? What is it? What is it?"

Her husband interrupted [2?×ì]. "Please be calm, dear," he said quickly. "Sit down, and don't jump to conclusions [?á??]. You've not brought bad news, I'm sure sir," he said to the visitor.

"I'm sorry - " began the visitor.

"Is he hurt?" demanded the mother wildly.

The visitor bowed [??1a] in agreement. "Badly hurt," he said quietly, "but he is not in any pain."

"Oh thank God!" said the old woman, holding her hands. "Thank God for that! Thank - "

She stopped as she slowly understood the meaning of his words. She saw the man looking away and knew she was right. She caught her breath, and turning to her husband, laid her trembling hand on his. There was a long silence.

"He was caught in the machine," said the visitor after a long time in a low voice.

"Caught in the machine," repeated Mr. White, in a confused [?ì?ò2???μ?] voice, "yes."

He sat staring out of the window, and taking his wife's hand between his own, pressed it as he had done when they had first known each other nearly forty years before.

"He was the only child we had," he said, turning slowly to the visitor. "It is hard."

The man coughed, rose and walked slowly to the window. "The company wants me to express their sincere sympathy with you in your great loss," he said, without looking round. "Please understand I am only their servant and am only obeying orders."

There was no reply. The old woman's face was white. Her eyes were staring and her breath was short. The husband's face looked like the officer's face last night when he was talking about the paw.

"The company Maw and Meggins wishes to say that they have no responsibility [?eè?]," continued the other. "They have no responsibility at all, but because your son had worked for so long with the company, they want to present you with some money."

Mr. White dropped his wife's hand and rising to his feet, stared with a look of horror at his visitor. His dry lips shaped the words,"How much?"

"Two hundred pounds," was the answer.

Not hearing his wife's scream, the old man smiled slowly, raised his hands like a blind man and dropped down to the floor.