454 THE KEEPER'S BOOK 



should indicate these facts to all manufacturers and 

 merchants with whom they are dealing, and intimate 

 that any suggested change in their business relations 

 must be decided by them and not by their servants. 

 In the majority of cases the dealer would be only too 

 pleased to do business on these lines. With servants 

 running riot in this way, it is no wonder so many people 

 cannot live on their own places, but have to let them 

 and go abroad, and so escape from the thraldom of 

 unscrupulous servants. 



An Act has now been passed prohibiting secret 

 commissions. We are glad to observe that this has 

 had good effect, and numbers of dealers in com- 

 modities under servants' control have only been too 

 glad to escape from their blackmail. It only wants a 

 little backbone and a little co-operation on the part of 

 such firms to continue to resist any inroad, which may 

 creep in through time, towards a renewal of this 

 objectionable practice. A hint to the master would 

 speedily put an end to it, and prevent the Act from 

 becoming a dead letter. 



From this form of " baksheesh" we pass to the 

 question of tipping as it affects shooting guest and 

 keeper. Now it is quite unnecessary for us to admit 

 that there are a large number of shootings at which 

 the traditions of moderate tipping are so maintained 

 that no one except the meanest or the most cantanker- 

 ous misanthrope objects to the common usage of 

 recognising the services of the keeper by a small 



