The Penn's Grove record., 1886-05-29
OUR NEW HOUSE.

Rty bSSoNoO wv blOo6hS VI Sf
and not from any claim to the title, for
1t was just about as old and as rickety
as a house supposed to be habitable
could well be. 1t was only new to us.
Indeed, with the exception of the house,
there was nothing new about us.
Neither my wife nor myself were, in
any sense of the word, old, and we We're
still, comparatively speaking, new to
each other.
1t had been my habit, for the few
years | had been in Somerset house, to
take my holidays at Llttlehampton,
partly because l like the place, and
partly-and chiefly. because it was
cheap. / used to have lodgings in the
house of d widow, Mrs. Crompton, in
a quiet street off the sea frontage. ]
had this year, on my summer holiday,
met there my fate in the person of
Mrs. Crompton's daughter Mary, just
home from school. l returned to Lon.
don engaged. There was no reason
why we should wait, for l had few
friends and no near relatives living,
and Mary had the consent of her
mother. l was told that her father,
who was a merchant captain, had
gone to sea shortly after her birth, but
had never been heard of since, and had
consequently been long ago reckoned as
''with the majority" / never met any
of my new relatives; indeed, there was
not the family opportunity afforded by
marriage under conventional social
conditions. We were married IN the
early morning at the church at Little
hampton. and, without any formal
wedding breakfast, came straight away
In the train. AS | had TO attend to my
duties at the Somerset house, the pre-
liminaries were all arranged by Mrs.
Crompton at Littlehampton, and Mary
gave tile re Iuired notice of residency.
We were all in a hurry to be off, as We
feared missing the train; indeed, whilst
Mary was signing the registry | was
settling the fees and tipping the verger.
When we began to look about for a
house, we settled on one which was va
can't IN q small street near Sloane
square. There was absolutely nothing
to recommend the place except the
smallness of the rent-but this was
everything to Is. The landlord, Mr..
GRADER, was the very hardest man ]
ever came across. He did not rel go
through the form of civllity in his
dealings.
"There is the house." he said, ''and
you can either take it or leave 1t. |
have painted the outside. and you
must paint the inside. Or, if you like
it as it is, you can have it so; only you
must paint and paper 1t before you give
1t up to me again-be it ~ year or
more"
L was pretty much of a handy man,
and felt equal to doing the work my
self; SO, having looked over the place
carefully, we determined to take it.
1t was, however, IN such a terribly ne
elected condition that | could not help
asking my iron-clad lessor as to who
had been the former tenant, and what
kind of person he had been to have
been content with such a dwelling.
His answer was vague. "Who he
was l don't know. 1never knew more
than his name. He was a regular
0ddity. Had this house and another of
mine near here, and used to live in
them both, all by himself. Think he
was afraid of being murdered OIL robbed.
Never knew which he wa in. Dead
lately. Had to bury him-worse luck.
Expenses swallowed up value Of all
he'd got"
We signed an agreement to take out
a lease, and when, in a few days, / had
put in order two rooms and a kitchen.
my wife and / moved in. l worked
hard every morning before 1 went to
my Office and every evening after l got
hApnn co II nnf tho nlonn In a anvnla If
weeks in a state of comparative order.
We had in fact, arrived so far on our
way to perfection that we had seriously
begun to consider dispensing with the
services of our char-woman and getting
a regular servant.
One evening my landlord called on
me. 1t was about 8 o'clock, and, as
our temporary servant had gone home,
I opened the door myself. l was some
what astonished at recognizing my Wis
itor, and not a little alarmed, for he
was so brutally simple in dealing with
me that l rather dreaded any kind of
interview. To my establishment he
began to speak in what he evidently
meant for a hearty manner
"Well, how are you getting on with
your touching upp"
"Pretty WE'LL" / answered, "but
touching up is rather a queer name
for it. Why, the place was like an old
ash heap. The very walls seemed pulled
about"
"Indeed!' he said quickly.
1 went n sit is getting into some
thing like order, however. There is
only one more room to do, and then we
shall be all right"
do you know" he said. shat l
have been thinking it is hardly fair that
you should have to do all this your
self.n
i must say that / was astonished as
well As pleased, and found myself
forming a resolution not to condemn
ever again any n for hardness until i
had come to know something about his
real nature. l felt somewhat guilty as
I answered: "You are very kind Mr..
GRADER. ! shall let you know what 1t