The worn gatepost

An original fiction passage set in the nineteenth century.

At noon, the inspector arrived to close the toll-house. “I shall be glad not to hear wheels at midnight,” Mr Pike said, sliding the iron bolt into place. He gave the inspector the account book without checking its pages. When the inspector offered his hand, Mr Pike appeared not to notice. He was tracing with his thumb the shallow groove in the gatepost, polished by thirty years of coins.

Identify one phrase that reveals Mr Pike’s attachment to the toll-house.