e.
Wat I've seen, young Bert I've seen, Sissie and Matt, Tom what's called
after me, and Peter. The traveller people brought you along all right,
eh?"

"I managed," said Teddy, who was a dry little boy.

"Didn't want to eat you on the way?"

"They was all right," said Teddy, "and on the way near Leatherhead we
saw a man riding on a bicycle."

"My word!" said Tom, "there ain't many of those about nowadays. Where
was he going?"

"Said 'e was going to Dorking if the High Road was good enough. But I
doubt if he got there. All about Burford it was flooded. We came over
the hill, uncle--what they call the Roman Road. That's high and safe."

"Don't know it," said old Tom. "But a bicycle! You're sure it was a
bicycle? Had two wheels?"

"It was a bicycle right enough."

"Why! I remember a time, Teddy, where there was bicycles no end, when
you could stand just here--the road was as smooth as a board then--and
see twenty or thirty coming and going at the same time, bicycles and
moty-bicycles; moty cars, all sorts of whirly things."

"No!" said Teddy.

"I do. They'd keep on going by all day,--'undreds and 'undreds."

"But where was they all going?" asked Teddy.

"Tearin' off to Brighton--you never seen Brighton, I expect--it's down
by the sea, used to be a moce 'mazing place--and coming and going from
London."

"Why?"

"They did."

"But why?"

"Lord knows why, Teddy. They did. Then you see that great thing there
like a great big rusty nail sticking up higher than all the houses, and
that one yonder, and that, and how something's fell in between 'em among
the houses. They was parts of the mono-rail. They went down to Brighton
too and all day and night there was people going, great cars as big as
'ouses full of people."

The little boy regarded the rusty evidences acrosss the narrow muddy
ditch of cow-droppings that had once been a High Street. He was clearly
disposed to be sceptical, and yet there the ruins were! He grappled with
ideas beyond the strength of his imagination.

"What did they go for?" he asked, "all of 'em?"

"They 'AD to. Everything was on the go those days--everything."

"Yes, but where did they come from?"

"All round 'ere, Teddy, there was people living in those 'ouses, and up
the road more 'ouses and more people. You'd 'ardly believe me, Teddy,
but it's Bible truth. You can go on that way for ever and ever, and keep
on coming on 'ouses, more 'ouses, and more. There's no end to 'em. No