" A
thin intermittent stream of their products found its way along the nine
hours of railway through most of the year. Flowers, fruit, and
vegetables might raise tantalising memories of the pleasant places where
they grew, but were not the less welcome to dwellers in this somewhat
austere tract where they did not grow or grew very niggardly. The
traffic in these delicacies drew the attention of the London and North-
Western Railway Company, whose officials called to account one of our
servants for travelling with an excess of personal luggage. The artless
contrabandist, besides his own modest pack, had fourteen several hampers
and boxes under his charge. This was checked. But who was the miscreant
who systematically staved in and pounded into such odd shapes the little
tin boxes in which our rose-fanciers had their choice blooms sent them by
post? Post Office authorities thought the damage was caused by "the
pressure of the letters." We did not, and remonstrated, till the
practice, whoever was the criminal, was stopped. Besides these gracious
souvenirs of home, there were from time to time business matters which we
had to transact as parishioners and ratepayers.
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