Blackstable

The boyhood home of narrator William Ashenden, Blackstable is a seaside town in Kent County in southeastern England between the Thames River and the Straits of Dover. During William's childhood, Blackstable flourishes as colliers deliver coal from Newcastle. Breezes off the North Sea make summers there delightful. The town consists of a long, winding road, High Street, sided by two-story buildings—homes and shops—and side streets are beginning to appear. The harbor is surrounded by narrow alleys. The principle pubs in town are the Railway Arms, the Duke of Kent, and the Bear and Key. A station of the London, Chatham & Dover Railway stops in Blackstable.

The local accent is East Anglian. Most natives are blue-eyed, high-cheeked, light-haired, clean, honest, ingenuous, and guileless. Summer vacationers from London are avoided and considered vulgar. Besides the Anglican church, which William's uncle pastors, Blackstable has a Congregational...