1893-1896] Penny Bread Tickets 309 



In the Spring of 1896 my mother agreed to discontinue 

 giving away penny bread-tickets at the door of her house 

 at Down. These tickets were payable in bread by the village 

 baker. This form of charity had existed for some fifty years, 

 and it shows her reasonableness and power of taking in new 

 ideas that she was brought to believe it encouraged tramps 

 and beggars, and was not necessary for saving actual 

 suffering. 



THE GROVE, Ap. 12, 1896. 



I have written to George to ask him to diminish the bread 

 tickets while they are at Down, which will make it easier 

 for Mary Anne. I think there always used to be a great 

 burst of tramps in the spring, and once I found the yard full 

 of hearty Irishmen refusing to go away, till I sent for the 

 policeman. 



The birds [Margaret's canaries] have laid three eggs, 

 and I think I shall boil them if I could be sure that the 

 murder would not be discovered. They are pleasant com- 

 pany. I have found Voltaire's Louis XIV. very pleasant 

 and short, leaving out the battles. Voltaire seems so 

 impressed with his magnanimity and generosity, as if a 

 despotic King could be generous. V. seems really to forget 

 where the money came from. 



The ' Shop ' mentioned in the next letter is that of 

 ' The Cambridge Scientific Instrument Company," of 

 which her son Horace was the head. It had lately been 

 moved into new and better premises. 



May ISth, 1896. 



I liked seeing the Shop on Sunday. It is a perfect situa- 

 tion, surrounded with gardens and so quiet. I did not 

 mount up to the show-room. Horace's room is so nice 

 and airy and quiet. It made me think more of him to 

 have such a shop. 



I like Capt. Younghusband's travels, 1 though one might 

 skip pages much like each other. The camels go on for 

 twenty hours or so and the ponies and mules for eight or 

 ten. They are fed up enormously and well treated. 



1 The Heart of a Continent. 



