第3章

Toseeouryoungmen，brightlydressedandcigarettesalight，wheelingofftotherendezvous，Grubbguidingthelady’smachinebesidehimwithoneskilfulhandandBertteuf—teuffingsteadily，wastorealisehowpluckmaytriumphevenoverinsolvency。Theirlandlord，thebutcher，said，"Gurr，"astheypassed，andshouted，"Goit！"inaloud，savagetonetotheirrecedingbacks。

Muchtheycared！

Theweatherwasfine，andthoughtheywereontheirwaysouthwardbeforenineo’clock，therewasalreadyagreatmultitudeofholidaypeopleabroadupontheroads。Therewerequantitiesofyoungmenandwomenonbicyclesandmotor—bicycles，andamajorityofgyroscopicmotor—carsrunningbicycle—fashionontwowheels，mingledwithold—fashionedfour—wheeledtraffic。BankHolidaytimesalwaysbringoutoldstored—awayvehiclesandoddpeople;onesawtricarsandelectricbroughamsanddilapidatedoldracingmotorswithhugepneumatictyres。Onceourholiday—

makerssawahorseandcart，andonceayouthridingablackhorseamidstthebadinageofthepassersby。Andtherewereseveralnavigablegasair—ships，nottomentionballoons，intheair。Itwasallimmenselyinterestingandrefreshingafterthedarkanxietiesoftheshop。Ednaworeabrownstrawhatwithpoppies，thatsuitedheradmirably，andsatinthetrailerlikeaqueen，andtheeight—year—oldmotor—bicycleranlikeathingofyesterday。

LittleitseemedtomattertoMr。BertSmallwaysthatanewspaperplacardproclaimed:——

GERMANYDENOUNCESTHEMONROE

DOCTRINE。

AMBIGUOUSATTITUTDEOFJAPAN。

WHATWILLBRITAINDO？ISITWAR？

Thissortofthingwasalvaysgoingon，andonholidaysonedisregardeditasamatterofcourse。Week—davs，intheslacktimeafterthemiddaymeal，thenperhapsonemightworryabouttheEmpireandinternationalpolitics;butnotonasunnySunday，withaprettygirltrailingbehindone，andenviouscycliststryingtoraceyou。Nordidouryoungpeopleattachanygreatimportancetotheflittingsuggestionsofmilitaryactivitytheyglimpsedeverandagain。NearMaidstonetheycameonastringofelevenmotor—gunsofpeculiarconstructionhaltedbytheroadside，withanumberofbusinesslikeengineersgroupedaboutthemwatchingthroughfield—glassessomesortofentrenchmentthatwasgoingonnearthecrestofthedowns。ItsignifiednothingtoBert。

"What’sup？"saidEdna。

"Oh！——manoeuvres，"stidBert。

"Oh！IthoughttheydidthematEaster，"saidEdna，andtroublednomore。

ThelastgreatBritishwar，theBoerwar，wasoverandforgotten，andthepublichadlostthefashionofexpertmilitarycriticism。

Ourfouryoungpeoplepicnickedcheerfully，andwerehappyinthemannerofahappinessthatwasanancientmodeinNineveh。Eyeswerebright，Grubbwasfunnyandalmostwitty，andBertachievedepigrams;thehedgeswerefullofhoneysuckleanddog—roses;inthewoodsthedistanttoot—toot—tootofthetrafficonthedust—hazyhighroadmighthavebeennomorethanthehornsofelf—land。Theylaughedandgossipedandpickedflowersandmadeloveandtalked，andthegirlssmokedcigarettes。Alsotheyscuffledplayfully。Amongotherthingstheytalkedaeronautics，andhowthevwouldcomeforapicnictogetherinBert’sflying—machinebeforetenyearswereout。Theworldseemedfullofamusingpossibilitiesthatafternoon。Theywonderedwhattheirgreat—grandparentswouldhavethoughtofaeronautics。Intheevening，aboutseven，thepartyturnedhomeward，expectingnodisaster，anditwasonlvonthecrestofthedownsbetweenWrothamandKingsdownthatdisastercame。

Theyhadcomeupthehillinthetwilight;Bertwasanxioustogetasfaraspossiblebeforehelit——orattemptedtolight，fortheissuewasadoubtfulone——hislamps，andtheyhadscorchedpastanumberofcyclists，andbyafour—wheeledmotor—caroftheoldstylelamedbyadeflatedtyre。SomedusthadpenetratedBert’shorn，andtheresultwasacurious，amusing，wheezingsoundhadgotintohis"honk，honk。"Forthesakeofmerrimentandgloryhewasmakingthissoundasmuchaspossible，andEdnawasinfitsoflaughterinthetrailer。Theymadeasortofrushingcheerfulnessalongtheroadthataffectedtheirfellowtravellersvariously，accordingtotheirtemperaments。Shedidnoticeagoodlotofbluish，evil—smellingsmokecomingfromaboutthebearingsbetweenhisfeet，butshethoughtthiswasoneofthenaturalconcomitantsofmotor—traction，andtroublednomoreaboutit，untilabruptlyitburstintoalittleyellow—tippedflame。

"Bert！"shescreamed。

ButBerthadputonthebrakeswithsuchsuddennessthatshefoundherselfinvolvedwithhislegashedismounted。Shegottothesideoftheroadandhastilyreadjustedherhat，whichhadsuffered。

"Gaw！"saidBert。

Hestoodforsomefatalsecondswatchingthepetroldripandcatch，andtheflame，whichwasnowbeginningtosmellofenamelaswellasoil，spreadandgrew。Hischiefideawasthesorrowfulonethathehadnotsoldthemachinesecond—handayearago，andthatheoughttohavedoneso——agoodideainitsway，butnotimmediatelyhelpful。HeturneduponEdnasharply。"Getalotofwetsand，"hesaid。Thenhewheeledthemachinealittletowardsthesideoftheroadway，andlaiditdownandlookedaboutforasupplyofwetsand。Theflamesreceivedthisasahelpfulattention，andmadethemostofit。Theyseemedtobrightenandthetwilighttodeepenaboutthem。Theroadwasaflintyroadinthechalkcountry，andill—providedwithsand。

Ednaaccostedashort，fatcyclist。"Wewantwetsand，"shesaid，andadded，"ourmotor’sonfire。"Theshort，fatcycliststaredblanklyforamoment，thenwithahelpfulcrybegantoscrabbleintheroad—grit。WhereuponBertandEdnaalsoscrabbledintheroad—grit。Othercyclistsarrived，dismountedandstoodabout，andtheirflame—litfacesexpressedsatisfaction，interest，curiositv。"Wetsand，"saidtheshort，fatman，scrabblingterribly——"wetstnd。"Onejoinedhim。Theythrewhard—earnedhandfulsofroad—gritupontheflames，whichacceptedthemwithenthusiasm。

Grubbarrived，ridinghard。Hewasshoutingsomething。Hesprangoffandthrewhisbicycleintothehedge。"Don’tthrowwateronit！"hesaid——"don’tthrowwateronit！"Hedisplayedcommandingpresenceofmind。Hebecamecaptainoftheoccasion。

Othersweregladtorepeatthethingshesaidandimitatehisactions。

"Don’tthrowwateronit！"theycried。Alsotherewasnowater。

"Beatitout，youfools！"hesaid。

Heseizedarugfromthetrailer（itwasanAustrianblanket，andBert’swintercoverlet）andbegantobeatattheburningpetrol。

Forawonderfulminuteheseemedtosucceed。Buthescatteredburningpoolsofpetrolontheroad，andothers，firedbyhisenthusiasm，imitatedhisaction。Bertcaughtupatrailer—cushionandbegantobeat;therewasanothercushionandatable—cloth，andthesealsowereseized。Ayoungheropulledoffhisjacketandjoinedthebeating。Foramomenttherewaslesstalkingthanhardbreathing，andatremendousflapping。Flossie，arrivingontheoutskirtsofthecrowd，cried，"Oh，myGod！"andburstloudlyintotears。"Help！"shesaid，and"Fire！"

Thelamemotor—cararrived，andstoppedinconsternation。A

tall，goggled，grey—hairedmanwhowasdrivinginquiredwithanOxfordintonationandaclear，carefulenunciation，"CanWEhelpatall？"

Itbecamemanifestthattherug，thetable—cloth，thecushions，thejacket，weregettingsmearedwithpetrolandburning。ThesoulseemedtogooutofthecushionBertwasswaying，andtheairwasfulloffeathers，likeasnowstorminthestilltwilight。

Berthadgotverydustyandsweatyandstrenuous。Itseemedtohimhisweaponhadbeenwrestedfromhimatthemomentofvictory。Thefirelaylikeadyingthing，closetothegroundandwicked;itgavealeapofanguishateverywhackofthebeaters。ButnowGrubbhadgoneofftostainpouttheburningblanket;theotherswerelackingjustatthemomentofvictory。

Onehaddroppedthecushionandwasrunningtothemotorcar。

"’ERE！"criedBert;"keepon！"

Heflungthedeflatedburningragsofcushionaside，whippedoffhisjacketandsprangattheflameswithashout。Hestampedintotheruinuntilflamesranuphisboots。Ednasawhim，ared—lithero，andthoughtitwasgoodtobeaman。

Abystanderwashitbyahothalfpennyflyingoutoftheair。

ThenBertthoughtofthepapersinhispockets，andstaggeredback，tryingtoextinguishhisburningjacket——checked，repulsed，dismayed。

EdnawasstruckbythebenevolentappearanceofanelderlyspectatorinasilkhatandSabbaticalgarments。"Oh！"shecriedtohim。"Helpthisyoungman！Howcanyoustandandseeit？"

Acryof"Thetarpaulin！"arose。

Anearnest—lookingmaninaverylightgreycycling—suithadsuddenlyappearedatthesideofthelamemotor—carandaddressedtheowner。"Haveyouatarpaulin？"hesaid。

"Yes，"saidthegentlemanlyman。"Yes。We’vegotatarpaulin。"

"That’sit，"saidtheearnest—lookingman，suddenlyshouting。

"Let’shaveit，quick！"

Thegentlemanlyman，withfeebleanddeprecatorygestures，andinthemannerofahypnotisedperson，producedanexcellentlargetarpaulin。

"Here！"criedtheearnest—lookingmantoGrubb。"Ketchholt！"

Theneverybodyrealisedthatanewmethodwastobetried。A

numberofwillinghandsseizedupontheOxfordgentleman’starpaulin。Theothersstoodawaywithapprovingnoises。Thetarpaulinwasheldovertheburningbicyclelikeacanopy，andthensmothereddownuponit。

"Weoughttohavedonethisbefore，"pantedGrubb。

Therewasamomentoftriumph。Theflamesvanished。Everyonewhocouldcontrivetodosotouchedtheedgeofthetarpaulin。

Berthelddownacornerwithtwohandsandafoot。Thetarpaulin，bulgedupinthecentre，seemedtobesuppressingtriumphantexultation。Thenitsself—approvalbecametoomuchforit;itburstintoabrightredsmileinthecentre。Itwasexactlyliketheopeningofamouth。Itlaughedwithagustofflames。Theywerereflectedredlyintheobservantgogglesofthegentlemanwhoownedthetarpaulin。Everybodyrecoiled。

"Savethetrailer！"criedsomeone，andthatwasthelastroundinthebattle。Butthetrailercouldnotbedetached;itswicker—workhadcaught，anditwasthelastthingtoburn。A

sortofhushfelluponthegathering。Thepetrolburntlow，thewicker—worktrailerbangedandcrackled。Thecrowddivideditselfintoanoutercircleofcritics，advisers，andsecondarycharacters，whohadplayedundistinguishedpartsornopartsatallintheaffair，andacentralgroupofheatedanddistressedprincipals。Ayoungmanwithaninquiringmindandaconsiderableknowledgeofmotor—bicyclesfixedontoGrubbandwantedtoarguethatthethingcouldnothavehappened。Grubbwassshortandinattentivewithhim，andtheyoungmanwithdrewtothebackofthecrowd，andtheretoldthebenevolentoldgentlemaninthesilkhatthatpeoplewhowentoutwithmachinestheydidn’tunderstandhadonlythemselvestoblameifthingswentwrong。

Theoldgentlemanlethimtalkforsometime，andthenremarked，inatoneofrapturousenjoyment:"Stonedeaf，"andadded，"Nastythings。"

Arosy—facedmaninastrawhatclaimedattention。"IDIDsavethefrontwheel，"hesaid;"you’dhavehadthattyrecatch，too，ifIhadn’tkeptturningitround。"Itbecamemanifestthatthiswasso。Thefrontwheelhadretaineditstyre，wasintact，wasstillrotatingslowlyamongtheblackenedandtwistedruinsoftherestofthemachine。Ithadsomethingofthatairofconsciousvirtue，ofunimpeachablerespectability，thatdistinguishesarentcollectorinalowneighbourhood。"Thatwheel’sworthapound，"saidtherosy—facedman，makingasongofit。"Ikep’turningitround。"

Newcomerskeptarrivingfromthesouthwiththequestion，"What’sup？"untilitgotonGrubb’snerves。Londonwardthecrowdwasconstantlylosingpeople;theywouldmounttheirvariouswheelswiththesatisfiedmannerofspectatorswhohavehadthebest。

Theirvoiceswouldrecedeintothetwilight;onewouldhearalaughatthememoryofthisparticularlysalientincidentorthat。

"I’mafraid，"saidthegentlemanofthemotor—car，"mytarpaulin’sabitdonefor。"

Grubbadmittedthattheownerwasthebestjudgeofthat。

"Nothin，elseIcandoforyou？"saidthegentlemanofthemotor—car，itmaybewithasuspicionofirony。

Bertwasrousedtoaction。"Lookhere，"hesaid。"There’smyyounglady。Ifsheain’t’omebytentheylockherout。See？

Well，allmymoneywasinmyjacketpocket，andit’sallmixedupwiththeburntstuff，andthat’stoo’ottotouch。ISClaphamoutofyourway？"

"Allintheday’swork，"saidthegentlemanwiththemotor—car，andturnedtoEdna。"Verypleasedindeed，"hesaid，"ifyou’llcomewithus。We’relatefordinnerasitis，soitwon’tmakemuchdifferenceforustogohomebywayofClapham。We’vegottogettoSurbiton，anyhow。I’mafraidyou"llfindusalittleslow。"

"Butwhat’sBertgoingtodo？"saidEdna。

"Idon’tknowthatwecanaccommodateBert，"saidthemotor—cargentleman，"thoughwe’retremendouslyanxioustooblige。"

"Youcouldn’ttakethewholelot？"saidBert，wavinghishandatthedeboshedandblackenedruinsontheground。

"I’mawfullyafraidIcan’t，"saidtheOxfordman。"Awfullysorry，youknow。"

"ThenI’llhavetostick’ereforabit，"saidBert。"Igottoseethethingthrough。Yougoon，Edna。"

"Don’tlikeleavin’you，Bert。"

"Youcan’t’elpit，Edna。"……

ThelastEdnasawofBertwashisfigure，incharredandblackenedshirtsleeves，standinginthedusk。Hewasmusingdeeplybythemixedironworkandashesofhisvanishedmotor—bicycle，amelancholyfigure。Hisretinueofspectatorshadshrunknowtohalfadozenfigures。FlossieandGrubbwerepreparingtofollowherdesertion。

"Cheerup，oldBert！"criedEdna，withartificialcheerfulness。

"Solong。"

"Solong，Edna，"saidBert。

"’Seeyouto—morrer。"

"Seeyouto—morrer，"saidBert，thoughhewasdestined，asamatteroffact，toseemuchofthehabitableglobebeforehesawheragain。

Bertbegantolightmatchesfromaborrowedboxful，andsearchforahalf—crownthatstilleludedhimamongthecharredremains。

Hisfacewasgraveandmelancholy。

"IWISHthat’adn’t’appened，"saidFlossie，ridingonwithGrubb……

AndatlastBertwasleftalmostalone，asad，blackenedPrometheanfigure，cursedbythegiftoffire。Hehadentertainedvagueideasofhiringacart，ofachievingmiraculousrepairs，ofstillsnatchingsomeresidualvaluefromhisonechiefpossession。Now，inthedarkeningnight，heperceivedthevanityofsuchintentions。Truthcametohimbleakly，andlaidherchillconvictionuponhim。Hetookholdofthehandle—bar，stoodthethingup，triedtopushitforward。Thetyrelesshind—wheelwasjammedhopelessly，evenashefeared。Foraminuteorsohestoodupholdinghismachine，amotionlessdespair。Thenwithagreatefforthethrusttheruinsfromhimintotheditch，kickedatitonce，regarded`itforamoment，andturnedhisfaceresolutelyLondonward。

Hedidnotoncelookback。

"That’stheendofTHATgame！"saidBert。"Nomoreteuf—teuf—teufforBertSmallwavsforayearortwo。Good—bye’Olidays！……Oh！Ioughtto’avesoldtheblastedthingwhenI

hadachancethreeyearsago。"

3

ThenextmorningfoundthefirmofGrubb&Smallwaysinastateofprofounddespondency。tseemedasmallmattertothemthatthenewspaperandcigaretteshopoppositedisplayedsuchplacardsasthis:——

REPORTEDAMERICANULTIMATUM。

BRITAINMUSTFIGHT。

OURINFATUATEDWAROFFICESTILL

REFUSESTOLISTENTOMR。BUTTERIDGE。

GREATMONO—RAILDISASTERATTIMBUCTOO。

orthis:——

WARAQUESTIONOFHOURS。

NEWYORKCALM。

EXCITEMENTINBERLIN。

oragain:——

WASHINGTONSTILLSILENT。

WHATWILLPARISD0？

THEPANICONTHEBOURSE。

THEKING’SGARDENPARTYTOTHE

MASKEDTWAREGS。

MR。BUTTERIDGETAKESANOFFER。

LATESTBETTINGFROMTEHERAN。

orthis:——

WILLAMERICAFIGHT？

ANTI—GERMANRIOTINBAGDAD。

THEMUNICIPALSCANDALSATDAMASCUS。

MR。BUTTERIDGE’SINVENTIONFORAMERICA。

Bertstaredattheseoverthecardofpump—clipsinthepaneinthedoorwithunseeingeyes。Heworeablackenedflannelshirt，andthejacketlessruinsoftheholidaysuitofyesterday。Theboarded—upshopwasdarkanddepressingbeyondwords，thefewscandaloushiringmachineshadneverlookedsohopelesslydisreputable。Hethoughtoftheirfellowswhowere"out，"andoftheapproachingdisputationsoftheafternoon。Hethoughtoftheirnewlandlord，andoftheiroldlandlord，andofbillsandclaims。Lifepresenteditselfforthefirsttimeasahopelessfightagainstfate……

"Grubb，o’man，"hesaid，distillingthequintessence，"I’mfairsickofthisshop。"

"So’mI，"saidGrubb。

"I’moutofconceitwithit。Idon’tseemtocareevertospeaktoacustomeragain。"

"There’sthattrailer，"saidGrubb，afterapause。

"Blowthetrailer！"saidBert。"Anyhow，Ididn’tleaveadepositonit。Ididn’tdothat。Still——"

Heturnedroundonhisfriend。"Look’ere，"hesaid，"wearen’tgettin’onhere。Webeenlosingmoneyhandoverfist。Wegotthingstiedupinfiftyknots。"

"Whatcanwedo？"saidGrubb。

"Clearout。Sellwhatwecanforwhatitwillfetch，andquit。

See？It’snogood’angingontoalosingconcern。Nosortofgood。Jestfoolishness。"

"That’sallright，"saidGrubb——"that’sallright;butitain’tyourcapitalbeensunkinit。"

"Noneedforustosinkafterourcapital，"saidBert，ignoringthepoint。

"I’mnotgoingtobeheldresponsibleforthattrailer，anyhow。

Thatain’tmyaffair。"

"Nobodyarstyoutomakeityouraffair。Ifyouliketostickonhere，wellandgood。I’mquitting。I’llseeBankHolidaythrough，andthenI’mO—R—P—H。See？"

"Leavin’me？"

"Leavin’you。Ifyoumustbeleft。"

Grubblookedroundtheshop。Itcertainlyhadbecomedistasteful。Onceuponatimeithadbeenbrightwithhopeandnewbeginningsandstockandtheprospectofcredit。Now——nowitwasfailureanddust。Verylikelythelandlordwouldberoundpresentlytogoonwiththerowaboutthewindow……"Whered’youthinkofgoing，Bert？"Grubbasked。

Bertturnedroundandregardedhim。"IthoughtitoutasIwaswalking’ome，andinbed。Icouldn’tsleepawink。"

"Whatdidyouthinkout？"

"Plans。"

"Whatplans？"

"Oh！You’reforstickin，here。"

"Notifanythingbetterwastooffer。"

"It’sonlyanideer，"saidBert"Youmadethegirlslaughyestiday，thatsongyousang。"

"Seemsalongtimeagonow，"saidGrubb。

"AndoldEdnanearlycried——overthatbitofmine。"

"Shegotaflyinhereye，"saidGrubb;"Isawit。Butwhat’sthisgottodowithyourplan？"

"Noend，"saidBert。

"’Ow？"

"Don’tyousee？"

"Notsinginginthestreets？"

"Streets！Nofear！But’owabouttheTouroftheWaterin’

PlacesofEngland，Grubb？Singing！Youngmenoffamilydoingitforalark？Youain’tgotabadvoice，youknow，andmine’sallright。IneverseeachapsingingonthebeachyetthatI

couldn’t’avesungintoacockedhat。Andwebothknowhowtoputonthetoffabit。Eh？Well，that’smyideer。Meandyou，Grubb，witharefinedsongandabreakdown。Likewewasdoingforfooleryyestiday。Thatwaswhatputitintomy’ead。Easymakeupaprogramme——easy。Sixchoiceitems，andoneortwoforencoresandpatter。I’mallrightforthepatteranyhow。"

Grubbremainedregardinghisdarkenedanddishearteningshop;hethoughtofhisformerlandlordandhispresentlandlord，andofthegeneraldisgustingnessofbusinessinanagewhichre—echoestoTheBitterCryoftheMiddleClass;andthenitseemedtohimthatafaroffheheardthetwankle，twankleofabanjo，andthevoiceofastrandedsirensinging。Hehadasenseofhotsunshineuponsand，ofthechildrenofitleasttransientlyopulentholidaymakersinacircleroundabouthim，ofthewhisper，"Theyarereallygentlemen，"andthendollop，dollopcamethecoppersinthehat。Sometimesevensilver。Itwasallincome;nooutgoings，nobills。"I’mon，Bert，"hesaid。

"Right0！"saidBert，and，"Nowweshan’tbelong。"

"Weneedn’tstartwithoutcapitalneither，"saidGrubb。"IfwetakethebestofthesemachinesuptotheBicycleMartinFinsburywe’draisesixorsevenpoundson’em。Wecouldeasydothattomorrowbeforeanybodymuchwasabout……"

"NicetothinkofoldSuet—and—Bonescomingroundtomakehisusualrowwithus，andfindingacardup’ClosedforRepairs。’"

"We’lldothat，"saidGrubbwithzest——"we’lldothat。Andwe’llputupanothernotice，andjestarstallinquirerstogoroundto’imandinquire。See？Thenthey’llknowallaboutus。"

Beforethedaywasoutthewholeenterprisewasplanned。TheydecidedatfirstthattheywouldcallthemselvestheNavalMr。

O’s，aplagiarism，andnotperhapsaverygoodone，fromthetitleofthewell—knowntroupeof"ScarletMr。E’s，"andBertratherclungtotheideaofauniformofbrightblueserge，withalotofgoldlaceandcordandornamentation，ratherlikeanavalofficer’s，butmoreso。Butthathadtobeabandonedasimpracticable，itwouldhavetakentoomuchtimeandmoneytoprepare。Theyperceivedtheymustwearsomecheaperandmorereadilypreparedcostume，andGrubbfellbackonwhitedominoes。

Theyentertainedthenotionforatimeofselectingthetwoworstmachinesfromthehiring—stock，paintingthemoverwithcrimsonenamelpaint，replacingthebellsbytheloudestsortofmotor—horn，anddoingarideabouttobeginandendtheentertainment。Theydoubtedtheadvisabilityofthisstep。

"There’speopleintheworld，"saidBert，"whowouldn’trecogniseus，who’dknowthembicyclesagainlikeashot，andwedon’twanttogoonwithnooldstories。Wewantafreshstart。"

"Ido，"saidGrubb，"badly。"

"Wewanttoforgetthings——andcutalltheserottenoldworries。

Theyain’tdoin’usgood。"

Nevertheless，theydecidedtotaketheriskofthesebicycles，andtheydecidedtheircostumesshouldbebrownstockingsandsandals，andcheapunbleachedsheetswithaholecutinthemiddle，andwigsandbeardsoftow。Theresttheirnormalselves！"TheDesertDervishes，"theywouldcallthemselves，andtheirchiefsongswouldbethosepopularditties，"InmyTrailer，"and"WhatPriceHair—pinsNow？"

Theydecidedtobeginwithsmallseasideplaces，andgradually，astheygainedconfidence，attacklargercentres。TobeginwiththeyselectedLittlestoneinKent，chieflybecauseofitsunassumingname。