The Ely miner., 1930-10-17
CHAPTER l


seven and eight o'clock on typically
wet and drizzling London night.
Save for an occasional belated clerk.
a watchman or two and a policeman,
the young man who was making his
way from Regent to Clifford street
found it practically his own and he
did no. like it.
He turned the corner Of Clifford
street, caught sight Of his own image
In the long mirror of corner shop
which reflected the light from a street
damp, saw how disgruntled he looked
and managed to snile at himself.
After all disagreeable duty might as
well be gone through with some spirit
He stopped to look in bookshop win
dow next to the entrance of the flats
I'm which his stepmother had her tenn
pOrary residence. He could see very
little of the books, because OF the dim
light but one large pile of new and
gaily bound novels, well in the fore
ground with the price "seven-and-six"
plainly marked, caught his eye. He
gaZed at them with interest, because
seven-and-six (less than two dollars)
represented the exact amount he had in
his pocket.
He was so hungry that he could not
help hoping that his stepmother
would not ask him to dine. since he
could not possibly accept if she did,
and the mere mention of food would
make him ravenous. His pride re-
quired that he refuse.
He had tasted nothing since break
fast. The journey to town had taken
all but his precious seven-and-six, and
he had yet to secure a nights lodging.
He found himself in the doorway,
reSitating, his hand on the bell. The
neighbOrhoOd was not fashionable but
Ii was undoubtedly, for a country
woman like his stepmother, both con-
venient and accessible. few doors
above him was the shop of a WELL
known shoemaker. He could see the
shop from the doorstep. How many
times he had come up this street to
order a pair of shoes! Well, those
carefree days were over. In fact they
had come TO an end when his father
married the woman whose doorbell he
was about to ring.
He gave the bell savage pull and
waited. There was no answer. He
rang again.
Faint and far away he heard the
rumble of something that must be an
elevator. He shook the water from
his hat and sighed.
The door was opened by a very
pretty young girl in a maids cap and
gown.
Lady Sandison."
Yes, SIR"
The maid indicated the elevator,
which was in the middle of the narrow
dimly lighted hall. The floor was COW
cred with black and white patterned
tinOleum. A dark marble-topped
stand stood near the doorway, con-
tanning a mirror in which 1t was i'm
possible to see oneself Surrounding
the mirror were several wooden pegs
on which to hang hats and coats al
though none were hung there. There
was small, tarnished. silver-plated
tray for cards on the marble top of
this stand, and about it were scattered
several letters and papers. 1t was the
sole piece of furniture in the hall.
The maid paused to gather I'D the
letters and papers before she followed
the young man past the stairs, which
were rather ornate as to handrail,
balusters and newell post.
The young man mad glanced quickly
at the scattered letters before taking
his way down the hall, reassured that
none of them were in his handwriting,
consequently his stepmOther must
have received the note he had sent
from Liverpool.
The elevator was so small that when
the maid entered, and took hold of the
rope which operated it, there was bare
ly room for one passenger The maid
closed the door and the antiuuated
little cOntriyance began its slow as
censiOn.
After his long sojourn in the Amer
icas, both South and Central, the
first glimpse of the hall, the lift and
the maid had given him an odd feel
ing, like that experienced in a dream
which the dreamer feels he has had
before. The next moment, even as
with the dreamer, he had forgotten all
that had been daily sight and expert
ence for some time, and was once
more part of the British" environ
ment in which he found himself, all
strangeness gone.
His stepmOther's fiat was the front
fiat on the second floor. The maid
brought the elevator to a standstill
and preceded him down a narrow hall
way. The young man followed, trying
to picture what this meeting would
be like
The maid, after perfunctory knock,
thrust open the door and announced:
"a gentleman to see you, Lady
SandisOn."
Come in,'' said a full deep voice
with a good honest Scotch burr in it,
and the young man walked in.
The sitting room looked very cozy.
after the wet streets. The curtains
were drawn and the fire was blazing.
In one of the easy chairs. large one,
drawn close to the fire, her feet on the
fender, sat a dumpy little woman with
red-fair hair that was slowly turning
gray. Her features were quite reg
ular. Her complexion was clear red
and white. She wore a black dress
with white collar and cuffs, well and
simply made, which gave her an air of
greater refinement than was really hers.
She could not, however, cloak her
Scots tongue. Ii is difficult to do
Lady Sandison's speech il stice in cold
print. There was crispness. rich
ness. rolling of the RS, tendency
rnaIo ad;pnnro adaaparo thof