[Illustration]

The shop was also patronized by mice--only the mice were rather afraid of
Ginger.

Ginger usually requested Pickles to serve them, because he said it made
his mouth water.

"I cannot bear," said he, "to see them going out at the door carrying
their little parcels."

"I have the same feeling about rats," replied Pickles, "but it would
never do to eat our own customers; they would leave us and go to Tabitha
Twitchit's."

"On the contrary, they would go nowhere," replied Ginger gloomily.

(Tabitha Twitchit kept the only other shop in the village. She did not
give credit.)

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

Ginger and Pickles gave unlimited credit.

Now the meaning of "credit" is this--when a customer buys a bar of soap,
instead of the customer pulling out a purse and paying for it--she says
she will pay another time.