istening in the darkness, a darkness made the blacker by the line

herself, that boded any good. Would-be lodgers gave sharp, quick, bold, confident raps. No; this must be

n flotsam and jetsam which drifts about every great city. But since she had taken to leaving the gas in the passage unlit at night she had been ve

ow to deal with difficult or obtrusive callers. Still, somehow, she would have liked him to go to-night. But Bunting sat on, a

is question she wen

opened the

p hat. He waited for a few seconds blinking at her, perhaps dazzled by the light of the gas in the passage. Mrs. Bunting's trained perception told her

" he asked, and there was something shri

nce anyone had come after their lodgings, anyone, that is, t

to one side, and the stranger wal

d that he held a narrow bag in his left hand. It

epeated the words, "quiet rooms," in a dreamy, absent w

, for the hall had been careful

s weary feet fell soft on a good, serviceable dark-red dru

se this, and evidently a su

gently. "And just now I have four to let. The h

en coming of a possible lodger, and of a lodger who spoke in the pleasant, courteous way a

l, perhaps I ought only to take two rooms, but, still,

Bunting had lit the gas! But for that circumst

door was still open; and it was the stranger whom she already in her mind described

xclaimed. "I'm sorry you sh

door open in London," he said, rather sharply. "I hope you do

ranger had still spoken courteously, b

ront door open," she answered hastily.

e the sound of Bunting coughing-it was just a little, hard

, putting out a hand

ver wa

o buy a paper a few minutes ago, and

ently, suspiciously. "What -what, may

heirs. Still, it wouldn't do for her to show offence. "He goes out waiting," she said stiffly. "H

d led the way up the s

ed the drawing-room floor. It consisted of a sitting-room in front, and a bedroo

as a green carpet simulating moss; four chairs were placed round the table which occupied the exact middle of the

lad in lace and tarletan ball dresses, clipped from an old Book of Beauty. Mrs. Bunting was very

d indeed, that she had summoned up sufficient energy

ing away by Bunting's rough threats of the police. But now it was in apple-pie order, with one paramount exception, of which Mrs. Bunting was p

r dubiously. "This is rather-rather too grand for me," he sa

e said softly.

her, she had not been mistaken in one sense, but perhaps this gentleman was a poor gentleman-too poor, that is, to afford the rent of more than one r

t look at the

ther up the house, Mrs.-," and then, as if making a prodigious men

ing to the fact that they were bare of any kind of ornament. Very little trouble had been taken over their arr

tove. The gas stove, of an obsolete pattern, was fed by a tiresome, shilling-in-the-slot arrangement. It had been the property of the people from whom the

to Mrs. Bunting was bound to be, but it was a bare, uncomfortable-looking place, and t

ed with satisfaction. "Capital! Capital!" he exclaimed, for the first time putting down the ba

te-quite first-rate! Exactly what I wanted to find! You must understand, Mrs.-er- Bunting, that I am a man of sc

ove. "This, too, will be useful-exceedingly useful, to me," and he t

a low voice, "tired-tired! I've been walking about all day, Mrs. Bunting, and I could find nothing to sit down upon. They do not put benches for tired

glance, she asked the question of which the answer would

then hastily he added, "I mean this kind of place is what I have always wanted to possess, Mrs. Bunting. You would be surprised if you knew

e came a note of sharp, angry fear in his voice. He glared at the quiet woman standing before him, and for a moment Mrs

he well-born and of the well-educated. Scholars, as she well knew, are never quite like other people, and her

t up and handed it to him. And as she did so she noticed that t

ch is very precious to me -something I procured with infinite difficulty, and which I could never get

timidly, returning to the subject wh

and you'll never forget my name. I could provide you with a reference-" (he gave her what she described to herself as a funny, sideways lo

ith a joy which was almost pain. She had not known till that moment how hungry

riendly note into his voice. "With attendance, mind! I shall expect you to

at him deprecatingly, and as he did not answer she went on falteringly, "You see, sir, it may seem a good deal, b

astily. "I prefer looking after my own clothes. I am used to waiting on

another lodger. I shouldn't like you to sleep in the back room up here, sir. It's such a poor little room. You c

n. And if I offered you two pounds, or two guineas?

"I'd be very glad only to

key to the door of t

be disturbed whi

in, rather urgently, "I suppose you h

efore had a new kind of lock put on to the door." She went over, and throwing th

me perfectly. And I'll begin now by paying my first month's rent in advance. Now, four times forty-two shillings is"-he jerked his head ba

oden table which stood in the centre of the room. "Here's five-six-seven-eight-nine -ten pounds. You'd better keep the odd change, Mrs. Bunting, for I shall want you to

ng's heart was going thump-thump-thump. She felt

to say that!" Then, more loudly, "Someone said to me, 'You can't go into a lodging-house without any luggage. They wouldn't take you in.' But you have taken me in, Mrs. Bunting, and

hen I see one," she said, wi

ut getting some clothes

oked at her

, sir. And would you tell me what you'd lik

or me. It's a cold, foggy, wet night, Mrs. Bunting. If you have a li

sausage," she s

n going to content herself with a little bread and cheese. But now-wonderful, almost, intoxicating thought-she could

ver touch flesh meat," he said; "it is a long, l

She hesitated a momen

requiring any bee

wering wrath suddenly fill

ght I had made that qu

ear that you wer

in their acquaintance. That he had given in about that had been the thing that first made her believe, that he was sincere in all the nonsense that he talked to her, in those far-away

drawing-room. It was a replica of Mrs. Bunting's own room just underneath, excepting that

d peace stealing over his worn face. "A haven of rest," he muttered; and the

s,

ne had quoted the Bible to her for many a long day. But it seem

eman, instead of with a married couple! Very peculiar married couples had drifted in an

moderately respectable and kindly. The last lot had belonged to that horrible underworld of men and women who, h

in a minute, sir, and some clean t

red a little-"I-I don't want you to interpret the word attendance too liberally. Y

-even a little snubbed. "All right, sir," she said. "I'