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3. Emotional Intelligence Skills, , Leading up to the story, , Discuss these questions in groups of four or five. The group leader may then present the, answers to the class., , Why do people go to banks?, When do we close a bank account?, , 1., 2., 3, What was your experience of opening a savings bank account?, , My financial career, , Read the prose piece by Stephen Leacock. Then answer the questions that follow., , When I go into a bank I get nervous. The clerks make me nervous; the little windows at, the counters make me nervous; the sight of the money makes me nervous; everything, makes me nervous., , The moment I go through the door of a bank and attempt to do business there, I, become an irresponsible fool. I knew this before I went in, but my salary had been, raised to fifty six dollars a month and I felt that the bank was the only place for it., , So I walked in with dragging feet and looked shyly round at the clerks. I had an idea, that a person about to open an account was obliged to consult the manager., , I went up to a counter marked ‘Accountant’. The Accountant was a tall, cool fellow., The very sight of him made me nervous. My voice was deep and hollow., , ‘Can I see the manager?’ I said, and added solemnly, ‘alone.’ I don’t know why I, said ‘alone.’, , ‘Certainly,’ said the accountant, and fetched him., , The manager was a grave, calm man. I held my fifty-six dollars clutched in a, screwed-up ball in my pocket., , ‘Are you the manager?’ I said. God knows I didn’t doubt it., , “Yes,” he said., , ‘Can I see you,’ I asked, ‘alone?’ I didn’t want to say ‘alone’ again, but without it, the thing seemed obvious. The manager looked at me in some alarm. He felt that I had, a terrible secret to reveal., , , , Scanned with CamScanner

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24 English and Soft Skills, , “Come in here,’ he said, and led the way to a private room. He turned the key in, the lock,, , ‘We are safe from interruption here,’ he said: ‘sit down.’ ;, , We both sat down anil Tooked at cach other. I found no voice to speak., , “You are one of Pinkerton’s men, I suppose,” he said. :, , He had gathered from my mysterious manner that I was a detective. I knew what he, Was thinking, and it made me worse., , ‘No, not from Pinkerton’s,” I said, seeming to suggest that I came from a riyay, agency, ., , ‘To tell the truth,’ I went on, as if I had been tempted to lie about it, ‘I am not a, detective at all. I have come to open an account. I intend to keep all my money in this, - bank.’, , The manager looked relieved but still serious; he concluded now that I was a son of, Baron Rothschild or a young Gould., , ‘A large account, I suppose,’ he said., , “Fairly large,’ I whispered. ‘I propose to deposit fifty-six dollars now and fifty, dollars a month regularly., , The manager got up and opened the door. He called to the accountant., , “Mr. Montgomery,’ he said unkindly loud, ‘this gentleman is opening an account,, He will deposit fifty-six dollars. Good morning.’, , I rose., , A big iron door stood Open at the side of the room., , “Good morning,’ I said, and stepped into the safe., , “Come out,’ said the manager coldly, and showed me the other way., , I went up to the accountant’s counter and pushed the ball of money at him with a, sudden, quick movement as if-I were doing a conjuring trick., , My face was pale as death., , ‘Here,’ I said, ‘deposit it.’ The tone of the words seemed to mean, ‘Let us do this, painful thing while we are in mood for it.’, , He took the money and gave it to another clerk,, , He made me write the sum on a piece of paper and sign my name in a book. I, no longer knew what I was doing. The bank was going round and round before my, eyes., , ; ‘Is it deposited?’ I asked in a hollow, vibrating voice., , ‘It is,’ said the accountant., , ‘Then I want to draw a cheque.’, , My idea was to draw out six dollars of it for present use. Someone gave me a cheque, book through a little window and someone else began telling me how to write it out., The people in the bank had the impression that I was a millionaire who had something, , OE, , Scanned with CamScanner

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Emotional Intelligence Skills 25, , wrong with him. I wrote something on the cheque and thrust it in at the clerk. He, looked at it., , ‘What! Are you drawing it all out again?’ he asked in surprise. Then I realized that, I had written fifty-six instead of six. I was too far gone to reason now. Thad a feeling, that it was impossible to explain the thing. All the clerks had stopped writing to look, at me., , Reckless with misery, I made up my mind., , “Yes the whole thing.’, , ‘You withdraw your money from the bank?’, , ‘Every cent of it.’, , ‘Are you not going to deposit any more?’ said the clerk, astonished., , ‘Never.’, , A foolish hope struck me that they might think something had insulted me while I, was writing the cheque and that I had changed my mind. I made a wretched attempt to, look like a man with a fearfully quick temper. , The clerk prepared to pay the money., , ‘How will you have it?’ he said., , ‘What?’, , ‘How will you have it?’, , ‘Oh,’—I caught his meaning and answered without even trying to think,—‘in, fifties.’ 2, i, , He gave me a fifty dollar bill., , ‘And the six?’ he asked dryly. fy, , ‘In sixes,’ I said. ., , He gave it to me and I rushed out., , As the big door swung behind me I caught the echo of a roar of, up to the ceiling of the bank. Since then I bank no more. I keep, my trousers pocket and my savings in silver dollars in a sock., , , , lIndaretandina the storv, , Scanned with CamScanner