things, to hear about the Post-Office. I had
no idea it was such a wonderful institution.--Do tell me more about it,
Mr Flint, and never mind May's saucy remarks."

Much gratified by this appeal, Solomon wheeled the old woman to her own
corner of the fire, placed a stool under her feet, the cat on her knees,
and patted her shoulder, all of which attentions she received with a
kindly smile, and said that "Sol was a good laddie."

Meanwhile the rotund maid-of-all-work having, as it were, hurled the
crockery into her den, and the circle round the fire having been
completed, as well as augmented, by the sudden entrance of Phil
Maylands, the "good laddie" re-opened fire.

"Yes, ma'am, as you well observe, it _is_ a wonderful institution. More
than that, it's a gigantic one, and it takes a big staff to do the duty
too. In London alone the staff is 10,665. The entire staff of the
kingdom is 13,763 postmasters, 10,000 clerks, and 21,000
letter-carriers, sorters, and messengers,--sum total, a trifle over
45,500. Then, the total number of Post-offices and receptacles for
receiving letters throughout the kingdom is 25,000 odd. Before the
introduction of the penny postage--in the year 1840--there were only
4500! Then, again--"

"O Mr Flint! pray stop!" cried Miss Lillycrop, pressing her hands to
her eyes; "I never _could_ take in figures. At least I never could keep
them in. They just go in here, and come out there (pointing to her two
ears), and leave no impression whatever."

"You're not the only one that's troubled with that weakness, ma'am,"
said the gallant Solomon, "but if a few thousands puzzle you so much
what will you make of this?--The total number of letters, post-cards,
newspapers, etcetera, that passed through the Post-Offices of the
kingdom last year was fourteen hundred and seventy-seven million eight
hundred and twenty-eight thousand two hundred! What d'ye make o' that,
ma'am?"

"Mr Flint, I just make nothing of it at all," returned Miss Lillycrop,
with a placid smile.

"Come, Phil," said May, laughing, "can _you_ make nothing of it? You
used to be good at arithmetic."

"Well, now," said Phil, "it don't take much knowledge of arithmetic to
make something of that. George Aspel happened to be talking to me about
that very sum not long ago. He said he had been told by a man at the
Post-Office that it would take a man about a hundred and seventy years
to count it. I tried the calculation, and fo