Page:Letters from England.djvu/35

 unravel it, there is a stoppage of conveyances from the Bank to somewhere in Brompton Road, and in the meanwhile you in your vehicle can reflect on what it will be like in twenty years. As such a congestion arises quite often, many people reflect about this. It has not yet been decided whether they are to walk on the roofs or under the earth; the only certain thing is that it cannot be done on the earth—which is a remarkable achievement of modern civilization. As regards myself, I give precedence to the earth, like the giant Antaeus. I have drawn you a picture, but the real thing is even worse, because it roars like a factory. On the other hand, the chauffeurs do not sound their hooters like mad and the people do not call each other names; they are such quiet people.

In the meanwhile I have found out, among other things, that the wild cry “o-ei-o” in the street means potatoes; “oi” is oil, and “u-u” is a bottle of something mysterious. And sometimes in the most important streets