Nanni quotes an 1861 letter by Emily Moffat, the daughter-in-law of Robert Moffat, British missionary to what is now known as South Africa: “You must know that today we have unpacked our clock and we seem a little more civilized. For some months we have lived without a timepiece. John’s chronometer and my watch have failed, and we have left time and been launched onto eternity. However, it is very pleasing to hear ‘tic tic tic’ and ‘ding ding.’ ”
