It took us about four hours to get here and two to find our baggage after we got here because the porters had put some of it with the B baggage and Aunt Sarah's trunk had wandered off among the C's. The station was crowded with hacks and omnibuses and people and almost every hack was engaged. Finally Pop managed to get a cab they called a four-wheeler. It looked scarcely big enough for two but as we got into it it sort of stretched and by the time the driver had us packed in we had seven people in it, Pop, Mamma, Aunt Sarah, the two children, the nurse and me. How we ever managed it I don't know, but we did, and then instead of sending the baggage to the hotel by an express-wagon the cabman put it all on top of the cab, two Saratoga trunks, three steamer trunks, a bath-tub, four bundles of rugs, two hat-boxes, three dress-suit cases and the hamper—and all for one horse! I didn't believe the horse could move us, but the minute the driver chirruped to him off he started like a regular race-horse and I tell you it was exciting. There we seven people were, cooped up inside with all those trunks piled up on the little bit of a roof right over our heads being galloped around corners as if we were playing snap-the-whip, darting in and out between policemen, lamp-posts and omnibuses. Mamma and Aunt Sarah were scared to death. They weren't afraid we'd tip over but they had half a notion that the roof might cave in and let all that baggage down on us; and I think Pop felt uneasy too because he tried several times to tell the driver to go slow, but he couldn't because he was wedged in so tight.
It wasn't possible to see much, we went so fast, but we did catch a glimpse of a fearfully dirty river as we crossed it and Pop said he guessed it was the Thames and it turned out to be so later on, and the bridge we were on led right up to the houses of Pollyment, I think they're called and I tell you they're beautiful. They look good enough to put on a mantel piece. Two minutes later we got here and Pop managed to pull us out of the carriage and get the baggage taken into a hotel by a man who was dressed up as gorgissly as a drum major, and all that cab cost was three dollars! Pop says he couldn't have got off for less than ten in New York and the driver cheated him into the bargain!
When he paid the cabby Pop told him he'd driven too fast and the man said he hadn't at all. "Aren't you afraid you'll run into somebody?" asked Pop. "No," said the man, "I'm afraid somebody'll run into me." Which is why he tore so to keep out of the way of the cabs behind him.
I can't say I think much of the hotels here. They're very handsome to look at, but its hard work getting anything at 'em. The people here behaved so that Pop thought we'd been landed at Buckingham Palace by mistake, and asked if he might see the Queen and apologize for intruding, but the man never laughed a bit; just turned away tired. We got our rooms finally though and there isn't a bed in one of 'em without a canopy over it and all the wash-stands have bottles of patent tooth-powders on 'em with signs saying if you open this bottle it'll cost you a shilling. I opened two of 'em before I saw the sign and Pop says I'm out fifty cents for my curiosity, but I don't mind. It'll go on the bill and he'll pay it.
We're off now to see the Tower of London. The next time I write I'll tell you all about it. I wish Sandboys was here. It would do these English hall-boys good to see how Sandboys does his work. It would take one of them English boys a year to carry up as much ice-water as Sandboys does in a night, but then they've got as much work as they can do looking after their buttons. I should think it would be a day's work buttoning up a hall-boy's coat over here. Ours has sixty between his chin and his waist.
Yours ever
Bob.