The Money-Box Page #4

"The Money-Box" by W. W. Jacobs is a humorous short story centered around a man named Mr. J. P. Jobson, who obsessively saves money in a locked box. The tale unfolds as Jobson's desire for financial security leads to a series of comical misunderstandings and situations, highlighting themes of greed and the folly of over-cautiousness. Jacobs skillfully weaves wit and irony throughout the narrative, making it a delightful exploration of human nature and our relationship with money.

• Humour
• Short story

								

with a barrer of lovely plants. ’E wasn’t asking money for ’em, only
old clothes.”

“Old clothes?” ses Ginger, in a voice as if ’e was being suffocated.

“I thought they’d be a bit o’ green for you to look at,” ses the old
man, ’olding the plants up; “there’s no knowing ’ow long you’ll be up
there. The big one is yours, Ginger, and the other is for Peter.”

“’Ave you gone mad, Isaac?” ses Peter, in a trembling voice, arter
Ginger ’ad tried to speak and couldn’t.

Isaac shook ’is ’ead and smiled up at ’em, and then, arter telling
Peter to put Ginger’s blanket a little more round ’is shoulders, for
fear ’e should catch cold, ’e said ’e’d ask the landlady to send ’em up
some bread and butter and a cup o’ tea.

They ’eard ’im talking to the landlady at the door, and then ’e went
off in a hurry without looking behind ’im, and the landlady walked up
and down on the other side of the road with ’er apron stuffed in ’er
mouth, pretending to be looking at ’er chimney-pots.

Isaac didn’t turn up at all that night, and by next morning those two
unfortunate men see ’ow they’d been done. It was quite plain to them
that Isaac ’ad been deceiving them, and Peter was pretty certain that
’e took the money out of the bed while ’e was fussing about making it.
Old Isaac kept ’em there for three days, sending ’em in their clothes
bit by bit and two shillings a day to live on; but they didn’t set eyes
on ’im agin until they all signed on aboard the Planet, and they
didn’t set eyes on their money until they was two miles below
Gravesend.
								Rate this book:0.0 / 0 votes