They then began making towards the curtain;
whereon I let it drop and retreated to a reasonable distance.
They soon joined me. For some few minutes we all kept silence, but at
last I ventured to remark that the bank was not so busy to-day as it
probably often was. On this Mrs. Nosnibor said that it was indeed
melancholy to see what little heed people paid to the most precious of
all institutions. I could say nothing in reply, but I have ever been of
opinion that the greater part of mankind do approximately know where they
get that which does them good.
Mrs. Nosnibor went on to say that I must not think there was any want of
confidence in the bank because I had seen so few people there; the heart
of the country was thoroughly devoted to these establishments, and any
sign of their being in danger would bring in support from the most
unexpected quarters. It was only because people knew them to be so very
safe, that in some cases (as she lamented to say in Mr. Nosnibor's) they
felt that their support was unnecessary. Moreover these institutions
never departed from the safest and most approved banking principles. Thus
they never allowed interest on deposit, a thing now frequently done by
certain bubble companies, which by doing an illegitimate trade had drawn
many customers away; and even the shareholders were fewer than formerly,
owing to the innovations of these unscrupulous persons, for the Musical
Banks paid little or no dividend, but divided their profits by way of
bonus on the original shares once in every thirty thousand years; and as
it was now only two thousand years since there had been one of these
distributions, people felt that they could not hope for another in their
own time and preferred investments whereby they got some more tangible
return; all which, she said, was very melancholy to think of.
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