uring letters as fast as they can; for at six o'clock
the country letters are sent off, and any posted after that will not be
delivered first thing next morning in the country, but will arrive
later.

Come inside; we have a special order so that we can be admitted without
any difficulty. Now we see from the inside what we saw from the outside
a minute ago. It is like looking at the inside of a piece of machinery.
We see now only the big slit and the eager hands thrusting letters into
it, more letters and more, which fly down inside like a snowstorm of
enormous flakes. They drop into great clothes baskets, which are filled
up every minute, and when full are dragged away by the postmen inside,
who thrust others into their places, others which, incredibly quickly,
are filled up, too, and dragged away. Rattle, rattle; down come the
letters. One boy outside has a bag, which he empties by tipping it up so
that a stream of letters runs down; he must be from an office. Here is
another, and another; but at last six o'clock strikes, the great baskets
have been dragged away, and no more letters for the country go until
much later. The basketfuls have been emptied into sacks; these sacks are
tied up with string and sealed with a piece of sealing-wax a good deal
thicker than your wrist, and then they are flung down into the bright
scarlet carts, which belong to the Post-Office, and which stand waiting
outside. Each driver starts off punctually with his load, and drives to
another great office in London where the country letters are sorted out
and sent off. All this business used to be done here where we are, but
in the last year or two it has been found better to keep the London and
the country letters separate.

Now we turn to look at the London ones. There is a separate box for them
to be posted in. Perhaps you who live in the country have never seen
that. At every large London office there are two boxes side by side, and
into one the people put their letters meant for the country, and into
the other those for London. The London letters are gathered from the box
and thrown out upon large tables, and down each side a row of boys and
men stand and sort them out like a pack of cards, putting them all
together, face up, and with the stamp in the same position. When they
are arranged the boys carry a great bundle to another man who has to
stamp them, so as to mark the stamp in case it should be used again.
There is a very clever contr