He had charged the Podds roundly for their credit, taking his chance of pay, and now got it paid in an equivalent of cash.

He gave the nine dollars with alacrity.
Peter took it upstairs and gave it to Mrs.Podds.

"If things look up with you later," he said, "you can pay it back.

If not, don't trouble about it.

Ill look in in a couple of weeks to see how things are going." When this somewhat complicated matter was ended, he wrote about it to his mother: "Many such cases would bankrupt me.