2/22 With all this, moreover, Mr.Gwynne was rigidly honest. No one ever thought of disputing an account whether he paid it or not, and truth demands that with Mr.Gwynne's customers the latter course was more frequently adopted. He could buy with discrimination, he had a rare gift of salesmanship, but as a collector, in the words of Sam Cheatley, the village butcher, himself a conspicuous star in that department of business activity, "He was not worth a tinker's curse." His accounts were sent out punctually twice a year. At times of desperation when pressure from the wholesale houses became urgent, special statements were sent out by Mr.Gwynne himself. |