• Time and Continuity:An Ancient Inn Endures
• David H. Lynn (bio)

Smiling and clearly nervous, Caroline Cheffers steps through the low threshold and down onto the floor of the Malt House. Only on special occasions does she typically draw the bolts on this great and dark room for airing and, if necessary, heating. And now the reason, the special occasion, does emerge immediately behind her: Queen Elizabeth II, serene and regal, pocketbook in the crook of her elbow, steps down as well and makes her way toward the video camera.

Even on the small computer screen, I recognize the passage from which they've just emerged. It seems unlikely. Narrow, dustladen surely, even after a thorough wash, the route is filled with the moldy residue of centuries. It extends between the Malt House and a stone cellar where casks of various ales reside. This is the Bridge Inn's inner and most ancient terrain, a route typically frequented only by staff. Yet Her Majesty is smiling in perfect order, seemingly indifferent to primeval grime. Her predecessor, the original Elizabeth, no doubt exhibited a similar sangfroid. That would have been [End Page 276] some four hundred years ago, when this inn's timbers were already timeworn and weathered.

I'm studying the video from four-thousand miles away and nearly two decades after the Queen paid her call. Friends have long regaled me with stories of the Royal Visit, but it has only just occurred to me that with a little searching online, I might be able to conjure a visual record. As it happens, my wife Wendy and I are about to return to Topsham, the small town in Devon, for another academic year. As so often in such a moment, I'm worried about all that may have changed in my absence. I'm aware, too, of course, of my own trajectory of change and of the memories and stories that go with it.

Clutching her black patent-leather handbag paired with sensible shoes and gloves, the Queen continues to beam as if reviewing a parade. Clearly, she has long understood that every gesture, every wince will be noted. Now the moment arrives for her to approach the bar that stands just inside the main door.

At his post stands Norman Cheffers, Caroline's father, ready to greet his sovereign. White-haired, jovial, and a bit portly, Norman alone of those present actually belongs to Elizabeth's generation. As a token of his fealty, the patriarch presents her with a small brown bottle of ale. Even if the label's not quite visible, I know it features 101 in bold print and a hand-drawn sketch of the old inn. Dark and rich, the special ale has been brewed to hallowed recipe; it also celebrates the century and more his family have served as custodians here. Norman's is the third generation, though family tradition has seen actual management pass from mother to daughter. Too often have the menfolk wandered off to fight their wars or to ply their trades or simply to dawdle. It's Caroline who sees to the day-to-day operations, with her mother Phyllis having passed some years ago.

Norman is beaming, his magnificently bulbous nose rampant. Accepting the tribute, his Queen hefts the bottle appreciatively in [End Page 277] her gloves. She is gracious and deliberate. Yet I sense her momentary conundrum. What is to be done? What if the gift is bobbled? What if it explodes? Her diplomatic mien—her poker face—gives nothing away. Yet as soon as courtesy allows, the monarch conveys her trophy to a discreet adjutant. Elizabeth's teeth remain fixed and visible, her thin, firm lips ever smiling.

If some twenty years earlier, in 1976, my own introduction to English pubs took place right here at the Bridge, so too does this occasion represent the Queen's first official visit to such an establishment. But of course, it's no accident. In the wake of the roiling debacle of Princess Diana's life and sudden death, Buckingham Palace has scripted this event as part of a new initiative. Once again, it has been left to Elizabeth, the...

• 时间和连续性：一个古老的旅馆经久不衰
• 戴维·H·林恩（生物）

Caroline Cheffers面带微笑，明显感到紧张，走过低矮的门槛，下到麦芽楼的地板上。仅在特殊情况下，她通常会在这个宽敞而又黑暗的房间里拉螺栓以进行通风，并在必要时进行加热。现在，特殊场合的原因确实出现在她身后：伊丽莎白女王二世，安详而富丽堂皇，肘部弯曲的皮夹，也下了身，走向摄像机。

即使是在小型计算机屏幕上，我也意识到它们刚刚出现的通道。似乎不太可能。即使经过彻底清洗，也肯定是狭窄，尘土飞扬的路线，充满了数百年来发霉的残留物。它在麦芽楼和一个装有各种啤酒桶的石窖之间延伸。这是Bridge Inn的内部和最古老的地形，这条路线通常只有工作人员会经常光顾。女王Ma下却微笑得井井有条，似乎对原始的肮脏无动于衷。她的前任伊丽莎白（Elizabeth）无疑也表现出类似的桑弗里德（sangfroid）。那应该是四百年前的[End Page 276]，那时这家旅馆的木材已经过时并风化了。

我正在研究四千英里外的视频，在女王接听电话后将近二十年。朋友们一直以皇家访问的故事来吸引我，但是我只是发现，只要在网上进行一些搜索，我就可以想到一个视觉记录。碰巧的是，我的妻子温迪和我将要回到德文郡的小镇托普舍姆，再读一学年。如此频繁的时刻，我担心在我缺席的情况下所有可能发生的变化。当然，我也知道自己的变化轨迹以及随之而来的记忆和故事。

女王抓住了她的黑色漆皮手提包，再加上合情合理的鞋子和手套，继续笑着仿佛正在阅兵。显然，她早就知道，每一个手势，每一个畏缩都会被注意到。现在该到了她接近大门正中的酒吧的时刻了。

卡罗琳的父亲诺曼·舍弗弗斯（Norman Cheffers）在他的岗位上准备好迎接他的主权。满头白发，乐于助人，而且有点轻率，诺曼独自一人实际上属于伊丽莎白时代的一代。作为他忠诚的象征，族长向她展示了一个棕色的小啤酒瓶。即使标签不太明显，我也知道它的特征是101号粗体字和旧客栈的手绘草图。黑暗而浓郁的特殊麦芽酒已经酿造成神圣的配方。它也庆祝了本世纪，他的家人更多地在这里担任托管人。诺曼家族是第三代，尽管家庭传统已将实际管理权从母亲传给女儿。人们常常流浪去打仗，打仗，或者只是为了混混。卡罗琳（Caroline）负责日常运营，

诺曼笑容灿烂，鼻子球茎隆隆。女王致敬后，女王在[End Page 277]她的手套中将瓶子大大地举起了。她彬彬有礼，刻意。但是我感觉到了她一时的难题。什么是要做？如果礼物摇晃怎么办？如果爆炸了怎么办？她的外交风貌-她的扑克脸-丝毫没有放弃。然而，只要有礼貌，君主就将她的奖杯传达给一个谨慎的副官。伊丽莎白的牙齿保持固定且可见，薄而结实的嘴唇微笑着。

如果大约在二十年前的1976年，我自己在桥附近就对英式酒吧进行了介绍，那么这次也代表了女王对此类场所的首次正式访问。但是，当然，这绝非偶然。在戴安娜王妃的生死存亡和猝死之后，白金汉宫将这次活动作为新举措的一部分进行了脚本编写。再次，它留给了伊丽莎白，...