They had already eight shillings and eightpence out of the sixty-three shillings.
It was sometimes said of the Twins by the carping that they never knew when to stop; but in this case it was not their fault that they went on.

It was the fault of the rabbit market.

At the fifteenth rabbit, when they had but eighteen shillings and eightpence toward the stole, the bottom fell out of it.

For the time the desire of Little Deeping to eat rabbits was sated.
It was also the fault of the insidious cook of Mrs.Blenkinsop, who, after refusing to buy the fifteenth rabbit, said: "Now, if you was to bring me a nice fat pheasant twice a week, it would be a very different thing, Master Dangerfield." The Terror looked at her thoughtfully; then he said: "And how much would you pay for pheasants ?" The cook made a silent appeal to those processes of mental arithmetic she had learned in her village school, saw her way to a profit of threepence, perhaps ninepence, on each bird, and said: "Two and threepence each, sir." The Terror looked at her again thoughtfully, considering her offer.

He saw her profit of threepence, perhaps ninepence, and said: "All right, I'll bring you two or three a week.