Presumably this is mentioned in the 1958 timeline, rather than in the time-slip era (which I assume would be pre-car) ? It sounds like more of an Edwardian/1920s usage than a 1950s usage but the meaning is clear enough and if that is the word the author preferred, then the publishers have no business changing it. As Philippa Pearce was born in 1920 it may be that that was the term she was familiar with from childhood.
The likes of Enid Blyton and Arthur Ransome have been bowdlerised in modern editions, which IMHO is not a good practice. |