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It was May Day. I went for a solitary walk in Eastern Cambridgeshire. It is a gently rolling countryside. There are telltale signs that the chalk is not far from the surface. It has an openness and lightness which is lacking on the thicker boulder clays to the east. The only hazard was the menacing dog at the gypsy caravan parked along the old Roman road. I was glad to arrive in Balsham and find the pub open. If anyone needed a drink I did. I took a seat where I could watch and admire two pretty girls sitting on tall stools at the bar. They were talking to a middle aged female who was regaling them with her various ailments. She was smoking like a woman possessed, coughing, wheezing and making vigorous use of an asthma inhaler. She waved her cigarette at the girls and said, "I suppose I should give these up. Why worry! When your time is up, your time is up!"
I thought to myself, "Carry on as you're doing and your time will be up sooner than later." At this point a little, very old, rather withered lady came into the pub. She looked as if she had been squeezed dry of all her vital juices. I learned later that she was 92. The old women paused to talk with the asthmatic, "I've come in for my husband's supper. Men! Aren't they a problem?" The smoker, who didn't look as if she had enjoyed much success with men and had even given me the glad eye, hastened to agree that men were more trouble than they were worth. She then said, "You know they don't serve food until 7pm." The old women replied, "I think I'll just have a word." So she waited at the bar and the publican came over. He listened patiently to her and went away. He returned with a little package of sliced ham. The women held out a few coins on the palm of her hand. The publican smiled at her and took one. She left. The smoker looked at the girls and said, "How sad. Her husband's been dead for 20 years." I was very impressed by the people in that country inn. Nobody mocked the old women. The publican treated her gently and compassionately. He displayed something of the spirit of Christ - he showed mercy.
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