and it is obvious that by crossing the cheque,
should it be lost and made an improper use of,
there would be no difficulty in tracing through
whose hands it passed."

(* Banks also issue cheques with the word "order"
printed instead of "bearer.")

Miss Smith soon learns that all her trades-
men's bills may be paid in the same way, with-
out going to the bank to draw the money, and
with the advantage that the cheque is not only a
proof of payment, but that she has also a record
of her accounts in the bank pass-book.

It may here be mentioned that should a banker
cash a cheque with a forged _endorsement_, he is
not responsible, and the loss falls on the drawer
of the cheque.* The crossing of a cheque, how-
ever, necessitating its being paid to a bank
account, would facilitate the discovery of the
culprit. An additional security is given to a
crossed cheque if it bears the words "not nego-
tiable" written underneath the crossing. This
means that it cannot legally be used as a means
of payment to a third party. In the event of
such a cheque going wrong, the loss would fall
upon a bank negotiating it for a customer. The
bank could be called upon to make good the
amount to the payee.