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Bennett, Arnold, 1867-1931

"The Card, a Story of Adventure in the Five Towns"

That was the Georgian touch! The modern
touch was shown in Councillor Cotterill's bay windows, bath-room and
garden squirter. There was stabling, in which were kept a Victorian
dogcart and a Georgian horse, used by the Councillor in his business. As
sure as ever his wife or daughter wanted the dogcart, it was either out
or just going out, or the Georgian horse was fatigued and needed repose.
The man who groomed the Georgian also ploughed the flowerbeds, broke the
windows in cleaning them, and put blacking on brown boots. Two indoor
servants had differing views as to the frontier between the kingdom of
his duties and the kingdom of theirs, in fact, it was the usual spacious
household of successful trade in a provincial town.
Denry got to Bycars Lane without a breakdown. This was in the days,
quite thirteen years ago, when automobilists made their wills and took
food supplies when setting forth. Hence Denry was pleased. The small but
useful fund of prudence in him, however, forbade him to run the car
along the unending sinuous drive. The May night was fine, and he left
the loved vehicle with his new furs in the shadow of a monkey-tree near
the gate.


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