Page:The life and letters of Sir John Henniker Heaton bt. (IA lifelettersofsi00port).pdf/117

 pleasure he renewed acquaintance with Sir Robert on his return to England after an absence of thirty years. Soon after his arrival in London Sir Robert and Lady Hart came to a tea party on the Terrace. H. H. asked him what struck him as the greatest change in London since he had left, and he replied instantly, "The noise." Lady Hart related that driving down to the House their carriage had got into a block, and the policeman in charge of the traffic held out his hand in the usual way; quite unused to this procedure, Sir Robert in great excitement leant out of the carriage and shouted, "For God's sake, move, man; you'll be killed."

In 1890, H. H. made his first voyage to America. It was then he began his life-long friendship with the great Postmaster-General of the United States, the Honourable John Wanamaker. It was a friendship that had its roots in a common love of humanity and an abiding conviction of the necessity of a closer union between the two great English speaking races. Mr Wanamaker's heroic labours in connection with Anglo-American penny postage, during the time of and after he left office, undoubtedly paved the way for the consummation of his cherished ideal. He was one of the pioneers of an Anglo-American entente cordiale; and when he visited London he was the first American ever elected a member of the Carlton Club.

During H. H.'s visit to America, he spent much of his time visiting the large towns and inspecting the workings of their postal system. At a certain town occurred one of those accidents which happen not only in the best regulated families but also in the best regulated post offices.