Origins of a tea company

'Don't blame me, Pongo,' said Lord Ickenham, 'if Lady Constance takes her lorgnette to you.  God bless my soul, though, you can't compare the lorgnettes of today with the ones I used to know as a boy.  I remember walking one day on Grosvnor Square with my aunt Brenda and her pug dog Jabberwocky, and a policeman came up and said the latter ought to be wearing a muzzle.  My aunt made no verbal reply. She merely whipped her lorgnette from its holder and looked at the man, who gave one choking gasp and fell back against the railings, starting eyes as if he had seen some dread- ful sight.  A doctor was sent for, and they managed to bring him round, but he was never the same again. He had to leave the Force, and eventually drifted into the grocery business.  And that is how Sir Thomas Lipton got his start.

---from Uncle Fred in the Springtime by P.G. Wodehouse

Comments

[Domoni]

A fine origin myth, but reality makes a better story. It's too bad there isn't a Lipton in charge of the company today.

[Lance]

Dom,

Don't tell me you're another tea nut! The boys' Uncle Merlin is a tea fanatic and he's done extensive research into the history of tea, the results of which he has not kept to himself. So I've heard the story and you're right, the reality is fascinating. Uncle Merlin says that the history of tea is the history of the modern Western World.

Still, Uncle Fred in the Springtime is worth reading too.

[Linkmeister]

I loves me some Wodehouse, but I like learning something I'd never known before even more. Domoni, that's a wonderful business story. Thanks.

I just ran across Lipton's "Cold Brew" bags, and they beat the powdered instant stuff by yards.

[strawberrykiwi]

can somebody please help me with Mark Twain's 'at the funeral', i understand some of it but not really.. i'm confused! please somebody help to explain it to me