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Nor ember 19
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19
THE LANDSWOMAN
Tbe Restfulness of London
By Locksley Ball
y niece GI&dJ=> confidrd to me, when I ran
down to my brother's farm for the \\ C(1k-end.
that she "as ''bored stiff., with the monotony of
country Jifo.
1o me, the routJno of work on the lond appcn.rccl
sheer hustle. There was alwa~ f;otno i lll})Ortant
detail that had almost been overlooked, sotnding and
butt(•r making all hf'rdays 1
M
PUTTING IT TO THR TEST.
" I 'UJSh,'' sighed the bored maiden, "some
fnir~ would "hisk ID( off to London for a day or
t\\O, just to soo sornothmg moving.''
•· London," 1 replied," 1~ by no means th<' merry-
go-round of your 1maginanon; it bort" m<' oxcc£>d-
ingly every day. ·•
" 0, unclo, what rot ! " (some town friends had
cnuchcd her vocabulary n.s well as o:xritcd her
wonder). "Why, nobody could possibly get
bCired in London.'
•· Evorybody i~ not bored, I admit ; many I.otl .
doners are too lazy to got bored, nnd thl\y set
tho paco. But I am quit<' willing to put our \icws
to tho tQ!Jt. Will you como baok 'Uith mo and S<'O
~ l11~t. the groat City JS really like ! "
(Jiaclys lx-havcd like an exuberant dog released
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from its chain, and thl· bargain was struck
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o•entunlly l'('aclwd Whitehall, \\ h .. n• ('I
mired the big buildings. l''or eotn(l tim~ u~ 1 Y.s art.
or stroll<>d about nC'nr the gl'('at omc(':-l
'>toocJ.
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work of the Emptre iP. . done. Fo 1 ' all tt"
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?f:r.
tl11•
I(} 1 1 ~
Jl\0\"'CID<'llt WO CO u1 ( l d lSI'OVCr th1•y might h
ntlll
0
huge hay~ tar k:s. UlSUl'<'ly folk }>n.., 81., 1
hc·1·n
but none dared. or enrod to <·ntcr tlwi 1 lO~t h,
portals. That it>, nono but Glndy:-t who
ncn•d
1 1
me m to on<' of the vast halls.
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mgg, rl
'}<'
tf'
l AW:t-~.
Thoro w<' \\ere confront<'d by a ~:~oh' mu t 0
liko official, who rousCid htmAolf sumci fJ 101 li''·
ask our busint'ss. Embold<'nNl hy m N\ Y to
prcscnco, I a~k<:d t.o sco a ectablo
railways are nsloop. As wo walked over tho bridg£>
my <·ompanion ~tared in amazornont at tho moored
barges, tho lazy ships, and especially at the frmge
nf ttreloss watchord Jt~aning on tbo parapet.
" 'W hat nro all these p£>oplo starmg nt 1, sho
a"kt•d. "Arc they a1l counhy couHin~-;, or ha!i
omobody dropped a pearl necklace over th<' edge ? ·•
'· Thcso people," I <'x:plain£>d, "aro among the
tmlors of London; they arc watclring the ships below
10 tho forlorn hopo that a. rash docker will ~tick his
hook in another man's Jcg. or that a. ru~ty chain
may bronk and drop a box of eg~. Tho only hustlers
ahout t.ho neighbourhood arc the gul1s, and thoy aro
nnt London orB."
'~ 'l'bo gulls S<·om to be scolding the J>COJ>lo, and
!;llmg thorn to get a. move on," comm<>ntod Gtadys.
l novor d1'0amt London could bo so sJoopy. Jt.
Wf1Dt3 dad round, with Ws whip."
'' 'l'hn.t 18 why London is constantly imJ>Ortmg
81 otch, Wolsh, and West Country men. All our
hu~tlol'8 c•omo from tho back o' beyond."
0, .~omo nlong, uncle ; show mo somothing
all v~. 1 heRo buzzore move, anyhow ...
Wo mount~d a. buzzer, wait~d half an hourfor tbo
" block to cl