Paper work, insurance and banking in am then mens bowls in pm. Weather was a mixed bag.
15C overcast this morning.

  The second morning they crossed into the province of Ontario and swung northward into the black spruce forests and then on around Lake Superior. That night they arrived at the Toronto Rail Station and their car was moved to a different track and left overnight. The following morning at daylight, they were shunted with much banging and jolting onto still another track and hitched to a different train that would continue on to Montreal. The train backed into the station and more passengers were loaded aboard and they finally left just before noon on the final leg of their rail trip.

Chapter 3.

  The rail line now passed through town after town and various cities, as a result the trip was at a much slower speed and broken by frequent stops. Consequently the afternoon passed slowly and one more night was spent on board. After a fitful sleep they pulled into the Montreal station just after seven am.

  After they had gathered all their luggage together on the station platform, Doctor Pearce found a porter and had everything moved out side to the street. “We will have to take a taxi from here, our hotel is somewhere near the docks and much too far to walk.”

 On the third try a taxi large enough to accommodate the whole family and their luggage was engaged and in moments they were tearing through streets and alleys; John quite enjoyed the ride but Mrs. Pearce kept her eyes closed most of the time and his sisters alternated between gasps and squeals. Doctor Pearce remained stoical.

  The trip lasted about one half hour then the taxi pulled up in front of an old three story brick building that by way of an ivy covered sign boasted itself as the ‘Chateau Petit Lyon’.

  The rooms were small and there were not enough beds for all, after some haggling and arguing the doctor was able to secure a second room only two doors from the first.  “We will have to make the best of it,” was his comment. “Our ship sails in three days time. The good thing about that is we will be able to do some exploring. Right now I shall telephone Cunard and make sure everything is in order for our departure.”

  He had barely uttered the words when there was a knock on the door, It was the desk clerk, “Pardon, Messieur but this message arrived before your arrival, it is urgent.” He passed a folded note and left before Doctor Pearce could say anything.

  Doctor Pearce unfolded the note and read it to himself then said, “A message from the Cunard office saying to call immediately. I’ll go down and be back as soon as I have talked to them.”

  The family all waited in the one room although both John and Jean wanted to check on the other room. “No.” Mrs. Pearce said, “We will wait until your father returns.”

  A restless hour later Doctor Pearce let himself into the room and with an unusually grim expression said, “I’m afraid our rail journey is not over yet, it seems that for the foreseeable future all trans-Atlantic ships sailing from Canada will be leaving from Halifax. The next one leaves the day after tomorrow and we will be unable to be there in time; I have reservations for the next sailing after that, it will leave in a fortnight.”