Economic Sophisms/202

<pagequality level="3" user="Zoeannl" />style="background: #ececec; text-align: left; padding-left: 0.5em; font-weight: bold;" class="table-rh"Template:Hwe in hand, he verifies or rectifies the postage of each letter.

JOHN: And after that?

JACQCTES: He enters in register after register, and in column after column, the greater or less results he has found.

JOHN: And after that?

JACQUES He puts himself in communication with the ten postmasters, his correspondents, to advise them of errors of 10 or 20 centimes (a penny or twopence).

JOHN: And then?

JACQUES: He collects and arranges all the letters he has received, to hand them to the postman.

JOHN: And after that?

JACQUES: He states the total postages that each postman is charged with.

JOHN: And after that?

JACQUES: The postman verifies, or discusses, the signification of the hieroglyphics. The postman finally advances the amount, and sets out.

JOHN: Go on.

JACQUES: The postman goes to the party to whom a letter is addressed, and knocks at the door. A servant opens. There are six letters for that address. The postages are added up, separately at first, then altogether. They amount to 2 francs 70 centimes (2s. 3d.).

JOHN: Go on.

JACQUES: The servant goes in search of his master. The latter proceeds to verify the hieroglyphics. He mistakes the threes for twos and the nines for fours. He has doubts about the weights and distances. In short, he has to ask the postman to walk upstairs, and on the way he tries to find out the signatures of the letters, thinking it may be prudent to refuse some of them. JOHN: Go on. JACQUES: The postman when he has got upstairs pleads the cause of the post-office. They argue, they examine, they weigh, they calculate distances—at length the party agrees to receive five of the letters, and refuses one. JOHN: Go on.