"
"And, of course, whatever kind of books are kept here, there must be
some sort of ledger, so that your bills can go to you every month."
The girl made a little grimace.
"The bills certainly come," she assured him.
"Well, then," said Hamilton triumphantly, "if we can find out from
Madame what proportion of all her trade your account is, and if you can
make a guess as to what the material you have brought her cost you, we
shall come pretty close to being able to make an estimate on the cost of
goods of all her customers."
"That's an excellent scheme," the girl said. "I don't know that I can
give very exact figures, but you want just a rough idea?"
"I'd like it exact, of course," the boy answered, "but since that
doesn't seem easy to get, the next best thing is a close estimate."
With this device in mind, very few minutes elapsed before the required
information was secured, a rough guess made at the result, and the
schedule finally filled out. As Hamilton rose to go, the girl said
laughingly: "I think I should at least receive 'honorable mention' in
the dispatches as a census-taker, the same as soldiers do in war.
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