E. V. Lucas

“ The interesting part of the ride, however, was the talk I had with a shilling with a hole in it. 'Whatever you do,' he said, 'don't ever let them bore a hole in you. Life isn't worth living after that. It's not so much that it hurts as that no one will take you. ”

“ Me he put in his left-hand trouser pocket with the half-crown and the florin; the pennies in his right, and the sovereign in his waistcoat. And here let me say that it is much more comfortable to be a man's money than a woman's. Men put us in their pockets and keep us cosy: women put us in purses, where we can hardly breathe.
"Directly after breakfast my gentleman hurried off to the Notting Hill Gate Tube station, and pushed me through a pigeon-hole to the ticket-seller, who laid me on the counter before him with a great many other coins all spread out. ”

“ These are the little things that human beings do not think of, but which mean so much to us. We always like to be put close together according to our metal, gold near gold, silver near silver, and so on, and we like, also, to keep near our own values too—half-crowns near half-crowns, and pennies near pennies (although now and then I will admit I have heard some very funny and enlightening things from copper, even from halfpennies, although it is true that they do drop their h's and are often exceedingly unwashed) . ”

“ This traveller had a little boy with him on his way back to school from Liverpool Street, and I very nearly passed into his possession as a tip, but just at the last moment the traveller thought better of it, and instead of giving the little boy a single shilling gave him half a crown (as all fathers and uncles ought to do at the very least) , and so I went back into his pocket again. ”

“ He put me in his pocket, and there I remained till he came home, when I was placed on the dressing table with all the other coins.
"I was the only shilling, the others being a very old half-crown, quite deaf and short-tempered, a tired florin, some more vulgar pennies (pennies can be very coarse) , and a sovereign, who was too proud even to look at us and at once went to sleep. ”

“ Just see what I have done this very day since I got up—I have bought tickets and food and drink and cab-rides for many people; I have been put into the plate at church and I have won ten shillings at the races ”