Mr. Kofi Jackson, a book-keeper working in the firm of Industrial Agents Ltd., was receiving £35 a month. He saw an advertisement for a similar post offering a salary of £45 a month, so he applied. He was interviewed and three weeks afterwards received an appointment letter asking him to assume duty on the 1st February. The letter was dated 23rd January.

‘Good show!’ he exclaimed as he scanned the lines, thrilling with success.

‘I'll surely be punctual! Let me write an acceptance of the post now!’ After the first few moments of sensation his face darkened into sadness as it dawned upon him that he could resign from his present appointment only after giving a month's notice or refunding a month's salary in lieu of notice.

‘Gracious!’ he sighed giving the letter a more serious reading.

‘What the deuce is this! Hm!’ He folded the letter, put it back into the envelope, and sighed again. He looked into space and thought hard.

‘No, a loan won't do; only last month I went in for thirty pounds for forty pounds—ten pounds interest! His wife's baby was due early next month.’

He got up, paced up and down.

‘Stop the noise over there, infidels,’ he shouted to the children through the window.

‘Kofi, you look exceedingly tired today,’ said Mr. Jackson's wife who had entered the room unnoticed. There was a pause as Mrs. Jackson thought about their problems.

‘I saw the midwife this morning. She said these should be bought.’

‘All right! Put it somewhere,’ said Kofi, still looking through the window.

‘There it is.’

Having racked his brains without finding any way out, he turned round and threw himself into an arm-chair and temporarily ceased to think about his problems.

At dinner as Mrs. Jackson observed the unusually slow manner in which he ate his meal, she realised that her husband was disturbed.

‘Kofi, what is worrying you?’

‘It's nothing; I've left some work undone.’

Mr. Jackson had a rather sleepless night.

The following morning he decided to see the Manager's wife. The Manager himself was serious and bureaucratic, but his wife had shown kindness and a desire to talk to the staff whenever she visited the office. So Mr. Jackson was encouraged to go and see her. He marched to the bungalow.