He thought of the high grass, of the orchard filled with fine fruit-trees, being already tormented by the longing to possess which comes with wealth; but, as he was prudent, he said: "We will see, we will see.

Let us wait till the end of the year." The end of the year, that is to say, the striking of the balance-sheet.
The balance-sheet! That is the magic word.

All through the year we go on and on in the eddying whirl of business.

Money comes and goes, circulates, attracts other money, vanishes; and the fortune of the firm, like a slippery, gleaming snake, always in motion, expands, contracts, diminishes, or increases, and it is impossible to know our condition until there comes a moment of rest.

Not until the inventory shall we know the truth, and whether the year, which seems to have been prosperous, has really been so.
The account of stock is usually taken late in December, between Christmas and New Year's Day.