British Highways And Byways From A Motor Car | Page 9

less important work, "The Harmonious Blacksmith." The idea of the
latter came from an odd character, the village blacksmith, who lived in
Edgeware in Handel's day and who acquired some fame as a musician.
His tombstone in the churchyard consists of an anvil and hammer,
wrought in stone. Afterwards Handel became more widely known, and
was called from Whitchurch for larger fields of work. He is buried in
Westminster Abbey.
The road from Edgeware to the city is a good one, and being Saturday
afternoon, it was nearly deserted. Saturday in London is quite as much
of a holiday as Sunday, little business being transacted, especially in
the afternoon. This custom prevails to a large extent all over the
Kingdom, and rarely is any attempt made to do business on Saturday.
The Week-End holiday, as it is called, is greatly prized, and is
recognized by the railroads in granting excursions at greatly reduced
rates. There is always a heavy exodus of people from the city to the
surrounding resorts during the summer and autumn months on Saturday
afternoon and Sunday.
Owing to the extreme difficulty of getting about the city, we made but

few short excursions from London such as I have described. If one
desires to visit such places in sequence, without going farther into the
country, it would be best to stop for the night at the hotels in the better
suburban towns, without attempting to return to London each day.
The garage accomodations in London I found very good and the
charges generally lower than in the United States. There is a decided
tendency at grafting on the part of the employes, and if it is ascertained
that a patron is a tourist--especially an American--he is quoted a higher
rate at some establishments and various exactions are attempted. At the
first garage where I applied, a quotation made was withdrawn when it
was learned that I was an American. The man said he would have to
discuss the matter with his partner before making a final rate. I let him
carry on his discussion indefinitely, for I went on my way and found
another place where I secured accommodations at a very reasonable
rate without giving information of any kind.
With the miserable business methods in vogue at some of the garages,
it seemed strange to me if any of the money paid to employes ever went
to the business office at all. There was no system and little check on
sales of supplies, and I heard a foreman of a large establishment declare
that he had lost two guineas which a patron had paid him. "I can't
afford to lose it," he said, "and it will have to come back indirectly if I
can't get it directly." In no case should a motorist pay a bill at a London
garage without a proper receipt.

III
A PILGRIMAGE TO CANTERBURY
No place within equal distance of London is of greater interest than
Canterbury, and, indeed, there are very few cities in the entire Kingdom
that can vie with the ancient cathedral town in historical importance
and antiquity. It lies only sixty-five miles southeast of London, but
allowing for the late start that one always makes from an English hotel,
and the points that will engage attention between the two cities, the day

will be occupied by the trip. Especially will this be true if, as in our
case, fully two hours be spent in getting out of the city and reaching the
highway south of the Thames, which follows the river to Canterbury.
Leaving Russell Square about ten o'clock, I followed the jam down
Holborn past the Bank and across London Bridge, crawling along at a
snail's pace until we were well beyond the river. A worse route and a
more trying one it would have been hard to select. With more
experience, I should have run down the broad and little-congested
Kingsway to Waterloo Bridge and directly on to Old Kent road in at
least one-fourth the time which I consumed in my ignorance.
Nevertheless, if a novice drives a car in London, he can hardly avoid
such experiences. Detailed directions given in advance cannot be
remembered and there is little opportunity to consult street signs and
maps or even to question the policeman in the never-ending crush of
the streets. However, one gradually gains familiarity with the streets
and landmarks, and by the time I was ready to leave London for
America, I had just learned to get about the city with comparative ease.
Old Kent road, which leads out of London towards Canterbury, is an
ancient highway, and follows nearly, if not quite, the route pursued by
the Canterbury pilgrims of the poet Chaucer. In the main it is unusually
broad and well kept, but