The morning times., 1895-07-28
Th6 Landladu' SiSter.

In the outskirts OF certain Londo SUBJ
urb lies about the dreariest and dullest
little road that the mind OF the modern
architect ever planned, or the hand OF the
modern builder ever executed. At one
end the houses are semi detached villas,
of fifth-rate excellence, trying TO hide their
cheap inferiority under palatial names.
There are to be found Chatsworth, Hat
field, Eaton, and Longleat. The ObServant
passer-by catches himself on the lookout,
unconsciousIy, for a Windsor Castle or
Buckingham Palace But he is sdisappointed.
The tone of the road dwindles as 1t pro-
ceeds. There is fall off to the Holles
and the Sycamores; a further decline TO
Byzantine crescent; and, at lastr the bottom
is reached in Laburnum terrace.
The houses in Laburnum terrace are the
sort of houses to make an artist shudder,
a philanthrOpist sad. They are the dwell
ings in which they who have known better
| days make a last frantic effort to preserve
their gentility. They are succeed mon
strosities, with front gardens 5X4 feet,
and bay windows fringed with curtains OF
cheap lace. Who does not know these
windows To whom is that pot plant on
the round table in front not familiar?
Whose heart has not ached while reading
between the lines of those homc-painted
bits of cardboard, on which il is announced
| that The Pianoforte is Taught" that
"Dressma king. in All its Bran nches, is Care
fully Executed that Apartments are to
be Let that "TypeWriting ana Copying
are Done Here?'
You may walk through d slum, where
broken windows stuffed with rags are the
rule and inYiolate panes the exception,
where touZed drabs loaf about the door
ways and grimy children play and wallow
in the kennels; where abJect pauperism and
pressing Indulgence expose themselves naked
and not ashamed-you may walk through
this slum, | say, and be less saddened by
its signs OF squaiid want than YOU would
be by the trim and succeed poverty of
Laburnum Terrace. The struggle for bread
is, in Itself, pathetic. Its pathos is en-
hanced when thereto is added the struggle
for appearances. There are those by whom
these must be kept up. They are not merely
the badge OF their self-respect, they are
thevery conditions of their existence. What
pupil would 90 for pianoforte lessons to
Drury lane? Who would patronize dress
maker in Glare market? Who would rent
apartments in the back streets OF Batter
sea. or take his type writing 10 the slums
of Lambeth?
SorefIected Reginald Blake, as he stroIIed
Reginald Blake was a young philosopher,
who. because he wrote articles OH social
| and economic questions in the evening
| papers, valued himself, perhaps, little
unduly. He was not bad young fellow.
| He WAS very good -natured and good
| hearted, and he certainly had abilities.
| But it was rather presumptuous Of him to
| hvae engaged, as he had already done upon
| magnum opus. in which he pulverlZed
| John Stuart Mill and reduced Emanuel Kant
| TO powder. However. he had the best
excuse of all for his audacity-the excuse
of being only twenty-five.
His means Were rather straitened and,
/ finding rooms In town trifle too eXpen-
siYe for him, he was now on the lookout
! for lodgings in a cheap suburb. That was
what brought him to Laburnum terrace.
| As he strolled along, looking at the various
! houses, and not particularly liking the looks
| of any, he was passed by a young woman,
walking very rapidly in the same direction
Just after She had gone by she turned
/ her head and looked at him. 1t was only a
mOmentary glance, but it had great ef-
! feet on Reginald-an effect which, even
/ at the time, he recognized as extraordinary.
! The girls face was very pretty, her eyes
were large and bright, but twas not this
that attracted him. He was a sober. SEN
sible fellow, the last man to run after q
! pretty face: but on the girls sudden look
had flashed a CLEAN of interest~--ts, and
OF nnmiStakable recognition, whiCd moved
| him strangely. He did not remember ever
! TO have seen her before. On reflection, he
was certain that he had not done so. Her
J face was not one to be easily forgotten.
What. then, did that look of recognition
mean? Perhaps she had mistaken him for
! somebody else. Perhaps
RaginaId's speculations did not carry him
| further just then. The girl, whom he was
| following with his eyes, turned into house
| about fifty yards ahead. He noted it
| carefully When be came abreast of il, he
( stopped and regarded it, IL was like all
the other houses in Laburnum terrace-a
| shrine erected by cheap gentility to supe-
| rior pauperism. In the bay window, hall
! concealing the traditional pot-plant, was a
| card, inscribed in homemade characters
with the notice: apartments. Reginald
was urged by an irresistible impulse. He
opened the small iron gate. He traversed
the four-foot garden. He knocked upon the
| door.
He was not answered by the girl, as he
| had hoped, but by a middle-aged person,
dressed in black; a thin, faded, shrunken,
superior person, who regarded him pery-
ously.
You let apartments, see," said Regi
nald
Yes, sir; i have a furnished sitting
! room aud bedroom for a bachelor. viii
Reginald followed her into the passage,
! and thence into the parlor on the ground
! floor. The room was scrupulously clean
/ and neat, but Mark Tapley himself could
not have dubbed it comfortable. The man
does not exist who could enjoy repose upor
| horse hair sofa, or derive a sense OF
| eoziuess from cheap lace curtains and
crochetted chair backs. Still, reflected the
the philosopher, they were probably as good
| as any other cheap lodgings. OF course
you could not expect much luxury for
| little money. And, besides-there was nc
| Disgusting the fact-he was influenced by
| an extraordinary and inexplicable wish to
make the acquaintance of the girl whom
| he had just seen in the street.
How do you like the rooms, sir?'' in
| quired the landlady, eyeiDg him anXiously
| This is the bedroom, sir" she added,
| opening door at the back Of where they
| stood. "A beautiful, large bedroom, sir
and so warm"
He glanced in. 1t looked clean and tidy
| at any rate, and IL he did not like the
| rooms it was easy TO move.
Turning to the landlady to tell her that
he thought they would suit him, and to
aske her terr.iS, he suddenly caught sight OF
the strange girl in 1.-the passage outside
When their eyes met she smiled at him
for an instant, with the same inexplica BILE
smile of recognition. Then she hurried
away and was lost to view.
Il am quite satisfied with the rooms,
said Reginald. 81 will take them
| THE terms are Is shillings a week, sir,
the laudlady told him.
THANK you. The price will suit me
very well Here" handing her the money
lis a weeks rent- in advance. You may
expect me with my baggage some time
tomorrow afternoon
AS he left the house he just looked bacl
1 1 In tnh thnr trlir