Dickens, Charles – The Uncommercial Traveller

THE DAILY PAPERS PROVIDED.

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Dickens, Charles – The Uncommercial Traveller

N.B. – This Establishment is conducted on the strictest business

principles, with the full intention of making it self-supporting,

so that every one may frequent it with a feeling of perfect

independence.

The assistance of all frequenting the Depot is confidently expected

in checking anything interfering with the comfort, quiet, and

regularity of the establishment.

Please do not destroy this Hand Bill, but hand it to some other

person whom it may interest.

The Self-Supporting Cooking Depot (not a very good name, and one

would rather give it an English one) had hired a newly-built

warehouse that it found to let; therefore it was not established in

premises specially designed for the purpose. But, at a small cost

they were exceedingly well adapted to the purpose: being light,

well ventilated, clean, and cheerful. They consisted of three

large rooms. That on the basement story was the kitchen; that on

the ground floor was the general dining-room; that on the floor

above was the Upper Room referred to in the hand-bill, where the

Public Dinner at fourpence-halfpenny a head was provided every day.

The cooking was done, with much economy of space and fuel, by

American cooking-stoves, and by young women not previously, brought

up as cooks; the walls and pillars of the two dining-rooms were

agreeably brightened with ornamental colours; the tables were

capable of accommodating six or eight persons each; the attendants

were all young women, becomingly and neatly dressed, and dressed

alike. I think the whole staff was female, with the exception of

the steward or manager.

My first inquiries were directed to the wages of this staff;

because, if any establishment claiming to be self-supporting, live

upon the spoliation of anybody or anything, or eke out a feeble

existence by poor mouths and beggarly resources (as too many socalled

Mechanics’ Institutions do), I make bold to express my

Uncommercial opinion that it has no business to live, and had

better die. It was made clear to me by the account books, that

every person employed was properly paid. My next inquiries were

directed to the quality of the provisions purchased, and to the

terms on which they were bought. It was made equally clear to me

that the quality was the very best, and that all bills were paid

weekly. My next inquiries were directed to the balance-sheet for

the last two weeks – only the third and fourth of the

establishment’s career. It was made equally clear to me, that

after everything bought was paid for, and after each week was

charged with its full share of wages, rent and taxes, depreciation

of plant in use, and interest on capital at the rate of four per

cent. per annum, the last week had yielded a profit of (in round

numbers) one pound ten; and the previous week a profit of six

pounds ten. By this time I felt that I had a healthy appetite for

the dinners.

It had just struck twelve, and a quick succession of faces had

already begun to appear at a little window in the wall of the

partitioned space where I sat looking over the books. Within this

little window, like a pay-box at a theatre, a neat and brisk young

woman presided to take money and issue tickets. Every one coming

in must take a ticket. Either the fourpence-halfpenny ticket for

the upper room (the most popular ticket, I think), or a penny

ticket for a bowl of soup, or as many penny tickets as he or she

choose to buy. For three penny tickets one had quite a wide range

of choice. A plate of cold boiled beef and potatoes; or a plate of

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Dickens, Charles – The Uncommercial Traveller

cold ham and potatoes; or a plate of hot minced beef and potatoes;

or a bowl of soup, bread and cheese, and a plate of plum-pudding.

Touching what they should have, some customers on taking their

seats fell into a reverie – became mildly distracted – postponed

decision, and said in bewilderment, they would think of it. One

old man I noticed when I sat among the tables in the lower room,

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