A Room with a View

l. She promised us south rooms with a view close together, instead of which he

ter and red bottles of wine that ran between the English people; at the portraits of the late Queen and the late Poet Laureate that hung behind the English people, heavily framed; at the notice of the English church (Rev. Cuthbert Eag

sed for soup," said Miss Bar

d us in her letter would have looked over the Arno. The S

ett continued; "but it does seem h

too. I meant that. The first vacant room in the front-" "You must have it," said Miss Bartlett, part of whose

You must

ur mother would nev

d never f

ise of unselfishness they wrangled. Some of their neighbours interchanged glances, and one of them-one of the ill-b

view, I ha

He was an old man, of heavy build, with a fair, shaven face and large eyes. There was something childish in those eyes, though it was not the childishness of senility. What exactly it was Miss Bartlett did not stop to consider, for her glance passe

e old man; "his name's Ge

tt, repressing Lucy, w

that you can have our rooms, an

e new-comers. Miss Bartlett, in reply, opened her mouth as little as pos

d man, with both f

ite out of the qu

o take-" began Lucy. Her

n don't." And he thumped with his fists like a naughty chi

ave the rooms," said the son.

d an odd feeling that whenever these ill-bred tourists spoke the contest widened and deepened till it dealt, not with rooms and views, but with-well, with something quite different, whose ex

so gross. Her face reddened with displeasure. She looked around as much as to say, "Are you all like this?" And two little old ladies, who we

o Lucy, and began to toy again with

those seemed very

pension is a failure. To-mo

ractive, who hurried forward to take his place at the table, cheerfully apologizing for his lateness. Lucy, who had not yet acquired decency, at once

said, with m

Miss Bartlett and Miss Honeychurch, who were at Tunbridge Wells

ladies quite as clearly as they remembered him. But he came forward ple

on, and would have been glad to see the waiter if her cousin had permitted it. "Ju

s Bartlett, filling up the gap, "and she happened to tell me in t

't know that I knew you at Tunbridge Wells; but

he Rectory at Summer Street next June. I am lucky

ame of our house is Windy

rother, though it's not often we get him to

let Mr. Beebe

, thank you, an

new Florence well, and was informed at some length that she had never been there before. It is delightful to advise a newcomer, and he was first in the field

le. "Mr. Beebe, you are wrong. The first fi

whispered Miss Bartlett to

tter, how much the place would grow upon them. The Pension Bertolini had decided, almost enthusiastically, that they would do. Whichever way they looked, kind ladies smiled and shouted at them. And above

her did not do. Lucy, in the midst of her success, found time to wish they did. It gave her no extra pleasure that any

not by another bow, but by raising his eyebrows an

iable Signora, bowing good-evening to her guests, and supported by 'Enery, her little boy, and Victorier, her daughter. It made a curious little scene, this attempt of the Cockney to c

and as she spoke, her long narrow head drove backwards and forwards, slowly, regularly, as though she were demolishing some invisible obstacle. "W

ssed his

w the name of an old man wh

ers

friend

dly-as one is

will say

ery slightly, an

t would be a serious thing if I put her under an obligation to people of whom we

tful, and after a few moments added: "All the same, I

But we could not be

itude. He has the merit-if it is one-of saying exactly what he means. He has rooms he does not value, and he thinks you would value them. He no more thought

hoping that he was nice; I do so al

e disagrees with rather than deplores. When he first came here he not unnaturally put people's backs up. He has no tact and no manners-I don't mean by that that he h

aid Miss Bartlett, "t

enient word, not without a

brought up his son to

creature, and I think he has brains. Of course, he has all his father's

u think I ought to have accepted their offer? Yo

answered; "I neve

ogize, at all events, fo

t would be quite unnecessary, and got up

you talk, Lucy? He prefers young people, I'm sure. I do hope I haven't monopoli

remember. He seems to see good in everyon

ear L

ow how clergymen generally laugh; Mr. B

me of your mother. I wonder if

will; and so

is the fashionable world. I am used to Tunbridge We

d Lucy des

at Windy Corner, or of the narrow world at Tunbridge Wells, she could not determine. She tried to locate it, but as usual she blund

n selfish or unkind; I must be more careful.

success of the plunge, the improvement in her sister's health, the necessity of closing the bed-room windows at night, and of thoroughly emptying the water-bottles in the morning. She handled her subjects agreeably, and they were, perhaps, more worthy of attention than the high discours

e as in England. Signora

" said poor Lucy. "We

ighed. "If only Mr. Emerson was more tact

was meaning

he was," said

r my suspicious nature. Of course, I wa

y; and they murmured that one could

ling a great fool. No one was careful with her at

et, have you ever noticed that there are people who do things

, puzzled at the word. "Are not

he other helplessly. "But things ar

things, for Mr. Beebe reappear

n was talking about it in the smoking-room, and knowing what I did, I encouraged hi

, "we must have the rooms now. The old ma

tlett wa

use, "that I have been officious. I

rd indeed if I stopped you doing as you liked at Florence, when I am only here through your kindness. If you wish me to turn these gentlemen out of their rooms, I

-room, and silenced the Guelfs and the Ghibellines. The clergyman, i

this. I do not wish the acceptance to co

back, saying r

gaged, but here is

hree ladies, who felt seated on t

hank him personally. But any message given by you to m

ame forth wrong end first. Young Mr. Emerson scored a notable triu

id Miss Bartlett, as

ther about the rooms! It is

eebe. Then looking rather thoughtfully at the two cousins, h

d a conversation developed, in which gentlemen who did not thoroughly realize played a principal part. Lucy, not realizing either, was reduced to literature. Taking up Baedeker's Handbook to Northern Italy, she com

ow. No, Lucy, do not stir. I

do everythin

dear. It i

ld like to

, d

ing herself. So Lucy felt, or strove to feel. And yet-there was a rebellious spirit in her which wondered whether the accept

t room. Naturally, of course, I should have given it to you; but I happen to kno

as bew

is father than to him. I am a woman of the world, in my small way, and I know where thing

said Lucy, but again had the sens

d when she reached her own room she opened the window and breathed the clean night air, thinking of the kind old man who had enabled her t

to see where the cupboards led, and whether there were any oubliettes or secret entrances. It was then that she saw,

was seized with an impulse to destroy it, but fortunately remembered that she had no right to do so, since it must be the property of young Mr. Emerson. So she unpinned it careful