A House to Let

a hand at Long Whist, which was a noble and a princely game before Short was heard of — said to me, one day, as he sat feeling my pulse on the actual sofa which my poor dear sister J

tartled at the man, for he was so christened himself: “don’t talk

that we want a little

said I; “does h

n you,

habit of expressing yourself in a straightforward manner, like a loyal sub

fidgetted me into any of my impatient ways — one

just then came in with the coal-scuttle, looking, in his nice black s

nd-thirty years. He entered my service, far away from England. He is th

ttle, making up the fire in his

see you are in a conspiracy against me, so I suppose you must

we had got to this point, we got on so expeditiously, that Trottle was packed off to Lon

ing place that could be taken for six months certain, with liberty to renew on the sam

fault at all in the room

suitable to you. There is not a fault in th

hat’s

pposite a H

of it. “But is that suc

at. Otherwise, I was so greatly pleased with the lodging that I shou

ace, in my interest, I wished not to

House may l

haking his head with decision; “it w

me! W

have to mention is, ma’am,

ate House been to let, in t

g,” said Tro

t in

of repair, ma’am, bu

ave anything to say against railways, except that they came in when I was too old to take to them; and that they made ducks and drakes of a few turnpik

ever, setting the one thing against the other, the good against the bad, the lodging very soon got the victory over the House. My lawyer, Mr. Squares, of Crown Office Row; Temple, drew up an agreement; which his young man jabbered over so

which appeared to me calculated to blow up and burst; but, likewise because I suspect Trottle (though the steadiest of men, and a widower between sixty and seventy) to be what I call rather a Philanderer. I mean, that when any friend comes down to see me and brings

bout the place. So, nobody stayed with me in my new lodging at first after Trottle had established me there safe and sound, but Peggy Flobbins, my maid; a most affecti

how the boys were pleased with what I sent them out by Peggy, and partly to make sure that she didn’t approach too near the ridiculous object, which of course was full of sky-rockets, and might go off into bangs at any moment. In this way it happened that the first t

those Young Mischiefs; that there were games chalked on the pavement before the house, and likenesses of ghosts chalked on the street-door; that the windows were all darkened by rotting old blinds, or shutters, or both; that the bills “To Let,” had curled up, as if the damp air of the place had given them cramps; or had dropped down into corners, as if they were no more. I had seen all this

e in a blind or a shutter — I found that I was looking at a secret Eye. The reflecti

by myself, and I rang for Flobbins, and invented some little jobs for her, to keep her in the room. After my breakfast was cleared away, I sat in the same place with my glasses on, moving my head, now so, and now so, trying whether, with the shining of my fire and the flaws in the window-glass, I could reproduce any sparkle seemi

to concern my head much about the opposite House; but, after this eye, my head was full of the house; and I thought of little else than the house, and I watched the house, and

e about the House to Let than I did. Neither could I find out anything concerning it among the trades-people or otherwise; further than what Trottle h

ns, which I had brought to London with me, were of no more use than nothing. In the cold winter sunlight, in the thick winter fog, in the black winter rain, in the white winter snow, the House

st take place sometimes, in the dead of the night, or the glimmer of the morning; but, I never saw it done. I got no reli

any children, and a fond old grandmother this day. I have soon known better in the cheerfulness and contentment that God has blessed me with and given me abundant reason for; and yet I have had to dry my eyes even then, when I have thought of my dear, brave, hopeful, handsome, bright-eyed Charley, and the trust meant to cheer me with. Charley was my youngest brother, and he went to India. He married there, and sent his gentle little wife home to me to be confined, and she was to go back to him, and the baby was to be left with me, and I was to bring it up. It never belonged to this life. It took its silent place among the other incidents in my story that migh

ecollections, and that they had quite pierced my heart one evening, when Flobbins, openin

ez Jarbe

ambled in, in his us

honi

when it was given to me: but, a good many years out of date now, and always s

arber, you are not obliged

tips of my five right-hand fingers to his lips, and sai

honI

to add that when I told him so, I knew his toes to be tender.) But, really, at my time of life and at Jarber’s, it is too much of a good thing. There is an orchestra still standing in the open air at the Wells, before which, in the presence of a throng of fine company, I have walked a

sed to me before my love-happiness ended in sorrow, but afterwards too: not once, nor yet twice: nor will we say how many times. However many they were, or however few they were, the last time he paid me that compliment was immediately after he had presented me with a digestive dinner-pill stuck on the point of

arrying little gossip. At this present time when he called me “Sophonisba!” he had a little old-fashioned lodging in that new neighbourhood of mine. I had not seen him for two or three years, but I had heard that he still went out with a little perspective-glass and stood on door-steps in Saint James’s Str

d cloak, and sat down opposite me, wit

please, Jarber,” I said. “Call me Sarah.

And you?”

an old woman ca

was beg

d at the candlestick, and he left off

id, “and so are you. Let us bo

hat you look worr

le. I have no doub

my Soph-, soft-hearted

comprehend. I am worried to death

oe step to the window-curtains, p

, in answer:

ck to his chair with a tender air, and

the Eye was so slight a thing to mention that I was more than half ashamed of it), “has made that House so mysterious to me, and has so fixe

-standing jealousy between Trottle and Jarber; and

h a little flourish of his cane; “how is T

nto that state about it, that I really must discover by some means or other,

putting his little hat to

w I do think of Jarber, through your having the kindness to suggest him — fo

ar

ld be too much

ar

g, and fetching and carrying, J

e at the Circulating Library. I converse daily with the Assessed Taxes. I lodge with the Water Rate. I know the Medical Man. I lounge habitually at th

uble to gratify even a whim of his old mistress’s. But, if you can find out anything to help to unravel the mys

oat; but a couple of the mildest Hares might have done that, I am sure. “Sarah,” he said, “I go. Expect me

iculty of keeping the two powers from open warfare, and indeed I was more uneasy than I quite like to confess. However, the empty House swallowe

hurch, they seemed to ring in the commotion of the puddles as well as in the wind, and they sounded very

as I prayed for the fatherless children and widows and all who were desolate and oppressed,— I saw the Eye again

(but for that railroad) an impossibly early hour, comes Trottle. As soon as he had told me all about the Wells, I told him all about the House. He list

notice, “when Mr. Jarber comes back this e

be wanted, ma’am; Mr. Jarber’s h

ce, I said again, that we mu

doubted, I should think, that Mr. Jarber’s head is equal, if no

not to notice, I gave no sign whatever that I did notice. But, when evening came, and he showed in Jarber, and, when Jarber wouldn’t be helped off with his cloak, and poked his

cloak, a roll of paper, with which he had triumphantly pointed over the way, like the Gho

it, when he was seated, and had g

ered Jarber. “Account of a former tenant, co

ated. For, I saw him making

, ma’am, I might be

ht be. I relieved myself with a good angry cro

own, if you please, Trottle

remotest chair he could find. Even that, he moved

n, after sipping his t

in, Jarber

House to Let should turn out to be t

eed be very m

sin (I learn, by the way, that he

George Forley was most implacable and unrelenting to one of his two daughters who made a poor marriage. George Forley brought all the weight of his band to bear as heavily against that crushed thing, as he brought it to b

tears out of my eyes; for, that young girl’s was a cru

o account for there being a Fate upon it, if Fate there is. Is

a w

why don’t you come nearer? Why do you sit mortify

I am quite near eno

ated friend and servant, and, beginning to read, tossed the

what f