494 HISTORY OF THE GRANGE MOVEMENT; OR, 



ing temporary use of some premises in Wood street, 

 they took a really desperate leap. After many a hunt 

 for a house big enough to meet any probable increase of 

 business, two of our committee discovered a suitable 

 one in Monk well street, a very narrow, out of the 

 way thoroughfare near Cripplegate Church, and filled 

 with confidence by past success, they took it on their 

 own responsibility at a rent of 400 a year. Great 

 was the anxiety of the remainder of the committee at 

 this bold proceeding, though the intention was to sub- 

 let the upper floor or the house to some firm that 

 should undertake to sell goods to the members at whole- 

 sale prices. Tenants were found in certain hosiers, 

 relatives of one of the Post-Office clerks, and the 

 arrangement worked fairly well for a time, but as soon 

 as it could safely do so, the committee regained posses- 

 sion of the floor, and undertook the sale of hosiery on 

 its own account. 



" From this point the narrative, from being one of 

 small beginnings, becomes the story of a large and 

 rapidly increasing business. 



" First the committee obtained part of an adjoining 

 house, then the whole of it, and after a time the other 

 adjoining house, and part of a house on the opposite 

 side of the street. A fresh house was taken in Villiers 

 street, and subsequently a larger one in Long Acre, for 

 the convenience of West End members. Before this 

 time a great pressure had been put upon the committee 

 to open a West End store ; but they would not then 

 make the venture, and this, among other causes, led to 

 the establishment of the sister Association, entitled 

 1 The Civil Service Cooperative Society,' which has ite 

 fetores in the Haymarket. 



