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"Well, six is normal", said Mr Wheeler.

The boy looked at his handful of coins and considered.

"What about pegs?"

"Pegs?"

"For tuning!"

"I've only got violin pegs."

"How much?"

"Ninepence each."

He quickly calculated six ninepences and subtracted it from his total.

"How about the wire stuff?"

"You mean fret wire?"

"Yes."

"One and six a foot."

The boy calculated again. He looked at the strings; they were varying thicknesses and prices, the thicker the more expensive. He knew enough to know the really twangy strings were the thin ones.

"Alright," he said at length, "I'll have six violin pegs, a foot and a half of fret wire and six thin strings!"

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