Queen Elizabeth, who was one of the greatest royal travelers of her time, made a visit to the home of her favorite, Sidney, and the drawing room which she honored as a guest is still shown, with much of the handsome furniture which was especially made for the occasion of Her Majesty’s visit.  On the walls are some examples of beautifully wrought needlework and satin tapestry which tradition says is the work of the queen herself and her maidens.  In the picture gallery the majority of the paintings are portraits of the Sidney family.

From Penshurst we returned to Tunbridge Wells, having covered in all about one hundred miles since leaving that town—­not a very long distance for a day’s motoring, but we had seen more things of interest, perhaps, than on any other day of our tour.  It was a fitting close to our tour, since we had determined that we would at once return to London and bid farewell to the English highways and byways.  The next morning we spent a short time looking about Tunbridge Wells.  This town has been known as a watering place since 1606 and has maintained great popularity ever since.  Its unique feature is the promenade, known as “The Pantiles,” with its row of stately lime trees in the center and its colonade in front of the shops.  It is referred to in Thackeray’s “Virginians,” and readers of that story will recall his description of the scenes on the Pantiles in the time of the powdered wigs, silver buckles and the fearful and wonderful “hoop.”  Tunbridge Wells makes a splendid center for several excursions and one might well spend considerable time there.  Our trip of the previous day had taken us at no time more than thirty miles from the town and had covered only a few of the most interesting places within that distance.

We were ready to leave Tunbridge Wells before noon, and it was with feelings of mingled satisfaction and regret that we turned toward London, about thirty miles away.  Our long summer’s pilgrimage through Britain was over.  Despite our anxiety to return home, there was, after all, a sense of regret that we had left undone much that would have been well worth while.  Our last day on the English country roads was a lovely one.  A light rain had fallen the night before, just enough to beat down the dust and freshen the landscape.  We passed through a country thickly interspersed with suburban towns.  The fields had much the appearance of a well kept park, and everything conspired to make the day a pleasant recollection.

When we came into the immediate suburbs of London, I found that the knowledge I had gained on our frequent trips gave me a great advantage in getting into the city.  I was able to avoid the crowded streets and to select those where traffic was lighter, thus reducing the time of reaching our hotel fully an hour.  There is much difference in the traffic on the eight bridges which cross the Thames.  London Bridge, which crosses near the Bank of England, is the most