ng. Like giants refreshed, they returned to
the scene of combat, while others took their places.

And what a scene it was! Despite all that had been done, the hall might
be described as waist-deep in letters! The fever had not yet abated.
It seemed as if the whole world had concentrated its literary produce
into one mighty avalanche on St. Martin's-le-Grand!

The midnight mails worked off some of this, but a large portion of it
still remained to be disposed of on Christmas-day, together with what
the mails brought in on that morning, but the officers worked so well
that between nine and ten on Christmas morning all were allowed to go
home, with the exception of twenty-six, who volunteered to remain.

Thus the battle was fought and won; the tables were cleared; the fever
was subdued; and the pulse of the Post-Office was reduced to its normal
condition.

Think on these things, reader, when next you read the little card that
wishes you "a merry Christmas!"

Some of the facts and results connected with this great battle are worth
recording. The number of _extra_ bags and sacks received at the chief
office altogether on that occasion was 1401. The number of extra bags
despatched was 2269; all of them were crammed full to their mouths, and
the aggregate weight of these extra mails was 197 tons.

To convey these from the chief office 176 extra vans were used, and 75
extra carts. As nearly as could be estimated, the number of extra
letters and packets was not less than four millions. There was a vast
increase, also, in the registered correspondence--to the extent of
thirty-one thousand in excess of the ordinary numbers.

During these three days some of the men did nearly thirty hours' extra
duty, _besides_ performing their ordinary work. The continuous
attendance at the office of some of them varied from forty to
forty-eight hours, and the total increase to the revenue on that
auspicious but trying occasion was estimated to be about twenty thousand
pounds sterling!

Phil Maylands and Peter Pax were among those who had volunteered to
remain after the press of work was over; and it was not till the
afternoon of Christmas-day that they finally, and simultaneously,
plunged into their beds and oblivion.

CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT.

THE STORMING OF ROCKY COTTAGE AND OTHER MATTERS.

Years flew by. The daily routine at St. Martin's-le-Grand went on; the
mails departed and came in with unvarying regularity; in the w