De Mersch's affairs ceded their space in the public prints to the topic of the dearness of money.

Somebody, somewhere, was said to be up to something.

I used to try to read the articles, to master the details, because I disliked finding a whole field of thought of which I knew absolutely nothing.

I used to read about the great discount houses and other things that conveyed absolutely nothing to my mind.

I only gathered that the said great houses were having a very bad time, and that everybody else was having a very much worse.
One day, indeed, the matter was brought home to me by the receipt from Polehampton of bills instead of my usual cheques.