London, June 28Dear Jessee,
I've gotten here - and one wash is out! That certainly is the curse of travelling, everlastingly washing out a few things. I got a maid in Norway to do one lot - and it was so cheap I couldn't believe it was true! But usually I can't seem to trust them, or they wouldn't do it, or there isn't time. Here I'm sure the maid would dismember all my delicate old garments. I shall return with just nothing! Of course low prices are not a good sign, but it sure will be convenient for me next fall when I have to start all over. I gave away six dresses in Copenhagen and a coat. But only one was new when I went there it must be said. And more have to go before the summer is over. Only one and a blouse bought all the year - but I'm looking for another tomorrow morning!
My companion comes tomorrow - in time for the opening of the Congress, I presume. I shall be glad to see her. The little hotel doesn't seem to me very good - but yet it is convenient and clean and dinner was good.
But I've been in one grand place for two days. It was just at a cross-roads up in the country in Yorkshire, a ruined Abbey near by, and the typical moors and dales of Yorkshire for scenery. I had my eye on the region, as real country, and a man on the boat coming over from Norway told me some more about it. So I just went. I must say that there is a freedom about travelling alone before the height of the season which is very alluring to me! The only room I've engaged ahead since leaving Copenhagen was the first night in Oslo! I've just gone - and there has has [sic] been lots of room, which isn't true a little later. I'll tell you much more about the Norway trip when I see you. If only the pictures come out well I shall have a few illustrations. The weather has been good on the whole.
The trip over was fine - a beautiful new boat and a smooth sea. I had one delightful "pick-up", an elderly Scotch woman with whom I spent the whole evening. We got on wonderfully! Her cousin I'm sure I've heard of, a woman now in Canada as exchange professor. I just would like to see her again. She began to travel at age 64, last year, and certainly has done a lot in this time, Jamaica, California, Vancouver, and now Norway were a few! I discover a good many going about who are our age or older!
Well, I landed in Newcastle where the coals certainly are present - horribly dirty atmosphere. A porter rushed me into a train going not at all as I had expected, but they do that over here. If one way doesn't connect, take another! Ticket equally good. This gave me out of the blue an hour at York to run nimbly up and look at the cathedral a few minutes. It is one of the most wonderful of all, especially some of the glass. I'd rather see five sort of plain grey windows there, with little red and blue lines in them, than most any windows I know about. They were what I went to, straight. After two more changes I got out on a platform where there was only the station-master, but he was a friendly soul and telephoned this adorable Inn I spoke of an an auto came in a few minutes.
You just have no picture of an English Inn. This is the best one I've ever seen. It was one to which lots of folks come by auto each night for dinner, awfully good looking folks, too. The place is full of valuable junk, copper and brass kettles and jugs, family portraits, loaded tables &c, bric-a-brac, flowers, chairs with deep cushions, oh so different from our places. It was bang on the road at a four-corners, with a swinging sign, "Devonshire Arms", for to be sure the Duke owns most of the Dale and the King comes to hunt at times - oh, it's a grand place. The Duke's Hall is a half mile away. Behind the house is a most beautiful garden, close-clipped English turf, with flowers and trees in a border about it, not square, oh, no. A sundial, some benches - a hedge, oh, really perfect. That night I slept 10 hours - fine bed.
Next day I saw the Moor, up about 10 miles or so by bus and then a climb of an hour perhaps to the high, irregular plateau where nothing grows but heather and bracken and a few sheep. It's desolate no end. I wanted to see if there really weren't some little flowers - and I did find a few, but mighty few! Then I came down to lunch at a funny little cafe. "No, we haven't any strawberries, they're too dear yet" - and I guess they were, for that place! We had sausages and potato and cakes - not the gorgeous Danish cakes by any means. English cooking is not as Danish - I shall long for those deadly things many a time.
On the way back I left the bus and walked a powerful long three miles through a lovely wood path (the Duke's Abbey Woods) by the little river, Wharfe. This was the Dale - and very charming, but of course not exciting scenery like Norway, though I found a few new flowers. My various botanies are coming to have a good many checks on things I've seen here and thre. I'm quite proud of the Norway one.
The Abbey is a beautiful ruin, the ivy-covered, picturesque kind, at a bend in the river, with stone tracery still left in some windows, with a green lawn like a carpet up the old altar steps, with a church-yard full of old stones, with trees and grass and cows and stepping stones in the river - oh, all the things that come in English pictures and stories and poetry! I went up the night before, and even the nightingale was there! And if you'll believe it there was one tonight out in Kensington gardens, with everybody stopping to look and listen, for he sat on a low, bare bough. They are remarkable, more brilliant than any bird I know, but not so lovely.
Today I started for London. No trains, for it was Sunday. First bus at 10:40. That took me all right for 6 or 8 miles. Then, no train to Leeds where my big bag was resting. No bus that looked as if it could catch a 12:15 train. The next train didn't get in until 9 and I wanted to get here earlier. Well, we got to Leeds some blocks from the station at 12:10. No boy in sight. I can't carry even my small suit-case - it is h-e-a-v-y! The conductor of the bus took it right along, 'twas the end of his line. We got to the station - caught a station porter who went for my other luggage. The ticket man said - "To the left, through the arches and tell him your luggage is coming!!" So I hustled - and held up a London express train! All the doors were shut - whistle blown (the conductor blows a shrill whistle to start the thing) but they yelled around - "Where's she going?" - "London" - and so on. And the man got there breathless, and everybody hustled the stuff on board and I paid him - and the train started!
Also I had an English luncheon basket today for the first time - but I must go to bed!
Lots of love - Abby