The Morning Post

The crisp clatter of the brass letterbox flap echoed down the corridor, announcing that the morning post had arrived. Slipping past the sitting room door and out onto the bristly fibers of the entryway mat, I discovered a long envelope adorned with jaunty red-and-blue airmail stripes. It lay slightly askew beside a heavy cast-iron doorstop. Bracing my shoes against the rough coir weave, I shoved the heavy parchment flat to inspect the splendid little postage stamp affixed to the corner. Staring at that miniature rendering of an overseas skyline confirmed my suspicions: the wider world possesses infinitely more charm than any rehearsed royal procession.