In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank.

My worries were increasing. The boy at the shop was becoming more clamorous. My sales were poor, as the railways (1) ______ more peddlers on the platforms. My cash receipts were going down and my credit sales alone (2) ______. The wholesale merchants who supplied me with goods stopped credit to me. The boy's method of account-keeping was so chaotic that I did not know whether I was moving forward or backward. He produced cash from the counter in a haphazard manner, and there (3) ______ on the shelves all over the shop. The boy was probably pocketing money and eating off the stuff. With my credit at the wholesalers' gone, the public complained that nothing one wanted was ever available. Suddenly, the railways gave me notice to quit. I (4) ______ the old stationmaster and porter, but they could do nothing; the order had come from (5) ______. The shop was given to a new contractor.

Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 1.