Monday was devoted to visiting the Salon, where they saw so many pictures that they came away with a very vague idea of what they had seen, but all agreed they preferred the English pictures of the present day to those of the French.
Tuesday night saw our party again in London, but at the Savoy Hotel, where they had delightful rooms overlooking the river.
Wednesday at eleven o'clock our happy party took the special train which connects with the fast steamers, and at four o'clock were on the "Teutonic" and starting for home.
A lovely night down to Queenstown, where the steamer stops for the mails. While waiting the next morning, Mr. Winter and Mr. Ford took Alice and Nellie on shore in the tug, and gave them a nice drive in a jaunting car.
The girls did not enjoy the drive very much, but were glad of the experience.
The ladies were very much interested in the boats which came out to the "Teutonic" with women who had laces and small articles to sell. The things were sent up to the deck in baskets, on ropes, which were tossed up for the passengers to catch. Some of the Irish girls were very bright, and made very good sales.
[Illustration: THAMES EMBANKMENT.--_Page 111._]
At last the tug with the mails arrived, and was attached to the steamer at once. Both went down the harbor until the passengers, among them our party, and the mails had been transferred. The girls were uneasy until they were with their mothers.
At two o'clock the tug left them, and then, indeed, it seemed as if they had started for home.
One bad stormy day, some foggy and some delightful ones, fell to their share. No one of their party was sick, and they thought the steamer delightful. Much as they had liked the "Etruria," it was decided by all that the "Teutonic" would be their steamer in the future.
New York was reached on Wednesday afternoon, and at night the entire party was at the Fifth Avenue Hotel, feeling very glad to get safely across the ocean again. They had become such good friends it was very hard to separate.
However, a promise was made by the Fords to visit Mr. and Mrs. Winter before the summer was over.
Thursday night the Winters could have been found in their own home, all very happy, and feeling that the following years would be fuller of interest in every way for the experiences, most of them pleasant, of their charming trip to Nuremberg and back.
