he got to know them all , these dainty opium dens -- -rose cottage , which he avoided after the woman charged him extra for emptying the sugar bowl ; the thatched barn , which amused him because it was a real den of iniquity -- -large plates of sugar cakes put on one 's table , the piercing temptation of the smell of hot scones ; the transport cafe , where the indian tea was black and strong and the lorry drivers brought in a smell of sweat and petrol and the great world ( bond found that all his senses , particularly his palate and nose , had miraculously become sharpened ) , and a dozen other cottagey , raftery nooks where elderly couples with ford populars and morris minors talked in muted tones about children called len and ron and pearl and ethel , and ate in small mouthfuls with the points of their teeth and made not a sound with the tea things .