They stood in the bedroom where Shakespeare was born, and where his father and mother probably died; and they looked into the garden where he used to play; and Horace very mischievously pointed out the fireplace in the kitchen where, as he told Hester, they cooked their bacon.
Mrs.Avory was then informed of the mean attacks on Shakespeare which Horace had made in the church, and their complete refutation by the old man, whose judgment she upheld.
"Horace," she said, "oughtn't to be here at all.He ought to be at St.
Albans.We will look up the trains when we get back to the hotel."Horace was not quite certain whether this was serious or not."Why St.
Albans?" he asked.
"Because that is where your friend Bacon lived," said Mrs.Avory.
The next place to visit was the Memorial, which is a very ugly building by the river, where the Festival is held every spring.This is not very interesting to children, being given up to books and pictures connected with the stage; but close by are the steps leading to the boats, each of which has a Shakespearian name, and Mrs.Avory allowed them to row about for an hour before lunch.This they did, Robert and Mary and Horace and Hester in the _Hermione_, and Janet and Gregory and Jack in the _Rosalind._After lunch, while they were waiting about in the hall looking at the pictures, and not quite sure what to do, Mr.Imber of Philadelphia approached them."I wonder," he said, "if you would do me a favour.I have scores of nephews and nieces, and also many friends, in America, to whom Iwant to send picture postcards.Now," he continued, "listen here.Here's seven shillings, one for each of you; and here's a five-shilling piece.Now I am going to give you each a shilling to buy picture post cards with, and I want you each to buy them separately--in different shops if you like --and then bring them back to me, and I'll give the five-shilling piece to the one who has what I think the best collection.Now off you go."So they hurried off.Stratford-on-Avon, I may tell you, exists almost entirely on the sale of picture postcards and Shakespeare relics, and there was therefore no difficulty in finding seven shops, each with a first-class assortment.
In this way an hour went very pleasantly, and then the results were laid before the old gentleman.Of course, there were many duplicates, but each collection had four or five cards that the others had not.After long consideration, Mr.Imber handed the five shillings to Mary.
Gregory's was the only really original collection, for, taking advantage of the circumstance that Mr.Imber had said nothing about the postcards being strictly of Stratford-on-Avon, he had bought only what pleased himself: all being what are called comic cards--dreadful pictures of mothers-in-law, and twins, and surprised lovers.
Mr.Imber laughed, and told him to keep them.
"Now," said Gregory, selecting a peculiarly vulgar picture of a bull tossing a red-nosed man into a cucumber frame, "I shall send this to Miss Bingham.""Gregory!" exclaimed Janet; "you shall do nothing of the kind.""Why not?" Gregory asked."She'll only laugh, and say: 'How coarse!'""No," said Janet, "we'll take them back to the shop, and change them for nice ones.""Oh, no, not all," Gregory pleaded."Collins would love this one of the policeman with a cold pie being put into his hand by the cook behind his back.""Very well," said Janet, "you may send her that, especially as we're getting her some pretty ones.""Yes," said Gregory, "and Eliza must have this one of the soldier pushing the twins in the perambulator""Very well," said Janet, "but no others.""Oh, yes," said Gregory, "there's Runcie.I'm sure she'd love this one of the curate being pulled both ways at once by two fat women.She's so religious."After tea they walked to Shottery to see Anne Hathaway's cottage, although not even Hester could be very keen about the poet's wife.Hester, indeed, had it firmly in her head that she was not kind to him."Otherwise," she said, "he would have left her his best bed instead of his second-best bed."None the less Hester was very glad to have Mr.Imber's present of little china models of the cottage and the birthplace.To the others he gave either these or coloured busts of Shakespeare; and to Gregory an ivory pencil-case containing a tiny piece of glass into which you peeped and saw twelve views of Stratford-on-Avon.
After dinner they sat down to the serious task of writing on the picture postcards which they had bought for themselves, while Gregory earned sixpence by sticking stamps on Mr.Imber's vast supply.Jack felt it his duty also to write to William:
DEAR WILLIAM, "Thanks for your very kind and informing letter.We are glad you are having such a good time.This is a rotten caravan, and you are well out of it.
"Yours, "J.R.
"P.S.--Don't fall off your clothes-horse too often."
