98 Four-ill- Hand in Britain. 



cent suite of rooms she expressed the wish that her own 

 Windsor had their equal. She finally decided to pur- 

 chase Claremont, the price demanded for Stoke, it is 

 said, having been too great to square with her majesty's 

 estimate of value. It is in the market to-day. If any of 

 our bonanza kings want one of the stately homes of 

 England, rich in historical associations and ** looking 

 antiquity," here is his chance. 



In still later times the old place came into posses- 

 sion of the Penn family, the heirs of our William Penn 

 of Pennsylvania, and it was by one of them, John Penn, 

 that the cenotaph to Gray was erected — for the poet, it 

 will be remembered, was laid in his mother's tomb. 

 This same Penn pulled down much of the old house 

 and rebuilt is as it is to-day. 



Our luncheon was to be upon the banks of the 

 Thames to-day, the Old Swan Inn, where the stone 

 bridge crosses the stream, being our base of supplies ; 

 but ere this was reached what a lovely picture was ours 

 between Stoke Pogis and the Swan ! All that has been 

 sung or written about the valley of the Thames is found 

 to be more than deserved. The silver stream flows 

 gently through the valley, the fertile land rises gradu- 

 ally on both sides, enabling us to get extensive views 

 from the top of the coach. Our road lies over tolerably 

 high ground some distance from the river. Such per- 

 fect quiet, homelike, luxuriant beauty is to be seen 

 nowhere but in England. It is not possible for the ele- 



