In the old press in Miss Rees’ bedroom, under a pile of linen, was a brown canvas bag containing a great weight of gold sovereigns.‘Great Heavens,’ Tom said when she took them to him. ‘However did she manage to save this much money? Her wages were ridiculously small for all the work she did here. She always said that her status in the family was sufficient reward, but I was never convinced of that.’‘Shall I count it, Tom?’ Lowri asked. ‘I didn’t want to touch it until I’d handed it over to you.’‘Let’s do it together and try to decide what we’ll do with it. I suppose she hasn’t left any instructions or any sort of will?’‘No, I’ve been through all her papers. Though I’m afraid I’ve been unable to throw much away. It’s all so interesting, accounts of how much Mrs Ifans spent on her wedding outfit when she married your father, stuff like that. How much was spent on the Harvest Festival supper and at Christmas and the New Year festivities. We should keep it all together in a big cardboard box.
