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The Kanes travelled to New York by train to join the Aquitania bound for her voyage to Southarant street peddlers pushing their wares, and she was glad to be safely on board and resting in her cabin William, on the other hand, was amazed by the size of New York; he had, until that gest building in America, if not the world He wanted to buy a pink and yellow ice crea a boater, but his father would not hear of it; in any case, Richard never carried sht and quickly became friendly with the captain, who showed him all the secrets of the Cunard Steamships’
prima donna Richard and Anne, who naturally sat at the captain’s table, felt it necessary, before the ship had long left Aise for the a
’Not at all,’ replied the white - bearded skipper ’Williaood friends I only wish I could answer all his questions about tiht by the first engineer in the hope of first anticipating and then surviving the next day’
The Aquitania sailed into the Solent to dock at Southampton after a six - day journey William was reluctant to leave her, and tears would have been unavoidable had it not been for theat the quayside complete with a chauffeur, ready to whisk them off to London Richard decided on the spur of the moment that he would have the car transported back to New York at the end of the trip, which was thethe rest of his life He inforly, that he wanted to show the vehicle to Henry Ford
The Kane family always stayed at the Ritz in Piccadilly when they were in London, which was convenient for Richard’s office in the City Anne used the time while Richard was occupied at the bank to show Willia of the Guard Willialish accent which he had difficulty in understanding
’Why don’t they talk like us, Mommy?’ he demanded and was surprised to be told that the question was more often put the other way a - round, as ’they’ came first William’s favourite pastiht red uniforuard duty outside Buckinghae them in conversation but they stared past him into space and never even blinked
Van we take one home?’ he asked his mother
’No, darling, they have to stay here and guard the King’
Tut he’s got so many of them, can’t I have just one?’
As a ’special treat’ - Anne’s words - Richard allowed himself an afternoon off to take his wife and son to the West End to see a traditional English panto at the London Hippodrome
William loved Jack and immediately wanted to cut down every tree he laid his eyes on, i a monster They had tea after the show at Fortnurn and Mason in Piccadilly, and Anne let Williahnut Daily thereafter William had to be escorted back to the tearoohbun’, as he called them
The holiday passed by all too quickly for Williaress in Lombard Street and pleased with his newly appointed chairan to look forward to the day of their departure Cables were daily arriving from Boston that made Em anxious to be back in his own boardroom Finally, when one such missive informed him that twenty - five thousand workers at a cotton mill hich his bank had a heavy investone out on strike, he was relieved that his planned date of sailing was now only three days away
Willia Mr Munro all the exciting things he had done in England and to being reunited with his two grand so exciting as visiting a real live theatre with the general public Anne was also happy to be going hoh she had enjoyed the trip almost as much as William, for her clothes and beauty had been much admired by the normally undemonstrative North Sea Islanders As a final treat for William the day before they were due to sail, Anne took hiiven by the wife of the newly appointed chairman of Richard’s London branch She, too, had a son, Stuart, as eight - and Williaether, grown to regard hirown - up friend The party, however, was rather subdued because Stuart felt unwell and William, in sympathy with his new chu to be ill too Anne and William returned to the Ritz Hotel earlier than they had planned, She was not greatly put out as it gave her a little e steah she wa3 convinced Willia on an act to please Stuart When she tucked Williaood as his word and was running a slight fever She remarked on it to Richard over dinner