had her money's-worth at the grocer's, and not
paid more than she ought?" "I'm not going
to dispute that," he says; "but you must
remember that the grocer has had the use of her
money, and supposing he had failed about the
beginning of December, what would have
become of Susan, and all the other Christmas-club
geese? I'm surprised at a sensible man
like you, George, doing such things, when
there's a Post-office Savings-bank close to your
door." "But," I says, "there's so much
ceremony about savings-banks; they're only
open certain days a week, and the hours are
inconvenient for a working man, and—" "You
don't know anything about them, George," he
says, taking me up short; "for the Post-office
Savings-banks that have just come up are open
every day from ten to four, and you may put
money in, and draw it out, whenever you like."
"Well, John," I says, "I'll see about it."

I did see about it, and found that one of the
Post-office banks had been opened at Bardsley's,
the tea-grocer's, in the next street. Bardsley's
is our post-office and money-order office as well;
and walking up the shop through an avenue of
sugar-loaves, I found a clerk reading the
news-paper.

"I want to put some money in the new bank,"
I says.

The clerk never said a word, but placed a
printed paper before me to sign. I read it
over and signed it, thereby declaring that I
was not directly or indirectly entitled to any
deposit in that, or any other savings-bank, and
that I submitted myself to the rules of the
Post-office Savings-bank. The clerk then handed
me a small paper book, about the size of a penny
memorandum-book, only it had a white cover
with the royal arms at the top, and was printed
all over with rules and regulations.

"Sign your name on that line, across the
inside of the cover," the clerk says. I signed
it. "That's your signature," he says, "for
drawing out, and you should be particular always
to use the same one."

I then handed the clerk five shillings as my
first deposit. He took the money, wrote in the
book, "Number 857. 1862. Jan. 1.— —5,"
put the post-office letter stamp for the day
against the entry, and the thing was done. I
don't think I was more thn five minutes in the
shop altogether. The very next evening, when
Susan and I were sifting at supper, the post-man
came to the door. Susan answered him,
and came back with a letter in her hand. "Lor',
George," she says, "it's a letter, 'On Her
Majesty's Service;' whatever can it be about?
I shouldn't wonder if it was the water-rates,
for you know the man has called three times,
and——"

"There, let's open it," I says, "that's the
best way to find out what it's about. It's all
right, Susan," I says; "it's a letter from the
Postmaster-General." " And whatever does he
want?" Susan says. "Oh, nothing," I says;
"he only writes to say that five shillings have
been placed to my credit in the books of his
department." "Well, it's very condescending
of him," Susan says, "for so little." "Well,"
I says, "it's a guarantee that it's all right,
and there's his signature, 'Geo. Chetwynd.'"
"Cheatwind!" Susan says; "are you sure it's
all safe, George?" "Safe as the bank," I says,
"and safer; for the Queen, the two Houses of
Parliament, and all the taxes, are security."

I quite took a fancy to the Post-office Savings-bank
when I found how simple the machinery
was. It was almost as handy as the drawer, to
have a bank round the corner where you could
buy your tea and sugar, and put your money away
all at once, and without ceremony. I was as
pleased with it as a child with a pretty toy, and
I liked the importance of receiving letters every
now and then "On Her Majesty's Service." Susan
used to put the letters on the chimney-piece for
people to see. It was soon the talk of the
neighbourhood that I was holding a
correspondence with the government, and it was
reported that I was going to be appointed
watchmaker to the Queen and the royal family.
I passed the post-office twice every day on
coming home to dinner and going back again
to work, and to walk in with my book and put
away a few shillings, was just like dropping in to
the public-house to have a glass of ale. And
always the next day, whether it was pounds or
shillings, I had a letter "On Her Majesty's
Service;" and Susan would meet me at the door
and say, "George, here's another letter from
the Queen," and then we'd sit down after supper
and count it up, and see how much I had at my
banker's. I found putting money away in the
Post-office Savings-bank so easy and so pleasant
like, that I rather overdid the thing, and put
more money away than I could spare. So one
day I ran short, and had to draw out. It was
almost as easy and expeditious as drawing a
cheque upon one of the big banks. At the
post-office they gave me a slip of paper with a form
of withdrawal upon it, and addressed in print
to the Postmaster-General on the back. I had
nothing to do but fill in the number of my book,
the amount I wanted to draw out, sign my
name, double the bit of paper up, and shove it
in the post. It only took me about a minute,
for the paper was ready gummed for sealing,
and no stamp was required, it being marked on
the back, "On Her Majesty's Service." It was
two o'clock on Tuesday when I posted the letter.
At four o'clock next day I had an answer in the
shape of a printed form, very similar to the notice
paper. I had nothing to do but sign it and present
it at the post-office, and the money was handed
to me, the clerk marking off the withdrawal in
my book.

It's my belief that saving is a habit, like
smoking, or taking snuff, or like extravagance.
If you begin it and go on with it for a little
time, you come to have a sort of passion for it.
Whenever 1 had any spare cash, I was off to
Bardsley's with it, and often when I thought of
withdrawing some I didn't do it, saying to
myself, "Oh, I can give notice to-morrow, or the
next day, or any time I like;" and so perhaps I