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OLD GENTLEMEN, STOUT LADIES, YOUNG PEOPLE, AND
SMALL CHILDREN, ALL RIDE IN ENGLAND 286

JOHN AND BETTY'S HISTORY VISIT

CHAPTER ONE

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Two eager young Americans sat, one on each side of the window of an
English train, speeding towards London. They had landed only that
morning, and everything seemed very strange to them, as they watched
the pretty scenes from the car-window. The lady who had met them at
the steamer, was an old friend of the family, who had often been to
America, and was well known to the children, though they had never
seen her son and daughter, whom they had come to visit. Mrs. Pitt soon
aroused them by saying:--

"Come, John, we are almost there, so please fetch down Betty's wraps
from the rack. Here are your umbrellas; you may take Betty's bag and
I'll take yours. Yes, it is really England, and soon we'll be in
London, where Philip and Barbara are very impatiently waiting to meet
the American friends with whom they have been exchanging letters for
so long. They have been studying history hard, and have learned all
they possibly could about their own country, which they love, and want
you to know, too. They have never seen very much of England, and this
is an excellent chance for them to do some sight-seeing with you. I
think you'll have a jolly time seeing all the strange sights and
customs, and visiting some historic places. Now, you must not expect
to find Philip and Barbara just like your friends at home; English
children dress very differently, and may use some expressions which
you do not exactly understand, but you'll soon become accustomed to
them all. Here we are at Waterloo Station."

As the guard swung open the door, two impatient young people hurried
up to the party.

"Here we are, Mother; did they come?"

John and Betty shyly shook hands with their English friends, but did
not find anything to say, just at first. Mrs. Pitt went to the
luggage-van, to find the children's trunks, and the others followed.

"Aren't the trains funny, John?" said Betty, nervously holding her
brother's hand.

"See, this is the baggage part of the car, but isn't it small!"

"Oh, there are several on each train," explained Philip. "Are your
vans any bigger?"

"There are our trunks, Mrs. Pitt," called John. "I know them by the
C's we pasted on the ends."

"Here, porter, put this luggage on a four-wheeler, please," and Mrs.