Mr Guppy's treat

[kev67]

In Chapter 20 Mr Guppy treats Mr Jobling and Mr Smallweed to lunch at some sort of bistro pub. Mr Smallweed works out the costs at the end of the meal.

4x veals & hams = 3/-
4x potatoes = 3/4
1x summer cabbage = 3/6
3x marrows (puddings)= 4/6
6x breads = 5/
3 x Cheshires = 5/3
4 pints half and half = 6/3
4 x small rums = 8/3
3 x Pollys = 8/6

I think the Pollys is the service charge, and I'm not sure if she gets 18d tip, but I think so. I think the marrow puddings are for dessert. Don't know what they are like. Not sure what a summer cabbage is neither. Half-and-half is half ale, half porter.

When I have a bit more time, I will work out what this comes to and work out what it would cost today.

[kev67]

Total cost was 45s +31d + 18d = 47s 9d = £2 7s 9d ~ £2.39 in decimal. That's pretty generous because somewhere else in the book Mr Guppy tells Esther he earns £102 a year. So he's blown over a week's wages on this one dinner, to which he's invited that ingrate, Bart Smallweed.

Some of those prices look high, for example, the halfs-and-halfs are pints of beer. They cost 1 shilling and 11 pence each. This is actually more than Jack Carter (from Get Carter) paid for a pint of beer around 1970 in Newcastle.