It was a joy to receive your comment! You got my intent—as much as it was a mental escape to the peaceful countryside, it was also an emotional journey for H&W to a definite, secure point in their lives. I was also about to have them ride a tandem bicycle, but it turned out that the modern version wasn’t patented until 1898 while the high-wheeled model was known to be an ideal variant for courting couples and thus too conspicuous.