nt, but it takes a super Mark Tapley to enjoy poverty in
London!

We had left the gardens a long way behind before at long last we reached
a block of dull red buildings, the various doorways of which were
decorated with different letters and numbers. A 1 to 40--C 41 to 80--D
81 to 120--etcetera, etcetera. The windows were flat, giving a
prison-like effect to the exterior, and I was just saying devoutly to
myself, "Thank goodness, _that's_ not--" when the taxi stopped, and my
eyes caught the fateful letters carved on a dull grey stone!

It _was_ Weltham Mansions, and there were two flats to be let. The
porter produced the keys and led us up, up, endless flights of stairs to
a crow's nest near the roof, and then down, down again to what was
described as the "sub-basement," which, being interpreted, meant that
the level of the rooms was a few feet beneath that of the road. Now I
had always set my affections on a basement flat, chiefly--let me
confess--because the sound of it appealed to my ears as so suitable and
appropriate to my new role. Also, to be able to walk in and out,
without mounting the stairs, minimised the risk of discovery, which was
no light point under the circumstances, but it was a distinct surprise
to find that the flat itself appealed to me more than any which I had
yet seen. Why? Not because of the rooms themselves, for they were
ordinary and prosaic enough, but because the bank which sloped from the
floor of the area to the street railings was of _grass_,
closely-growing, well-conditioned grass, broken here and there by tiny,
sprouting leaves of--yes! extraordinary as it seems, there could be no
doubt about it, for both Bridget and I recognised them in one lightning
glance--_primroses_! Some former tenant who loved the country had
planted those roots in a hopeful mood, and they had taken hold, and
grown, and multiplied. When spring came the owner of that basement flat
would have a primrose bank between herself and the world outside those
high railings. She had also a strip of cement area in which she could
place tubs filled with soil which would provide blossom for later days.
The exposure was south, and the railings were high, so that the tiny
garden would be assured of sun and security. The soot would fall, and
the dust lie thick, but there would be colour and life, and on the air
faint wafts of perfume.

We went back to the porter's room to hear the particulars of the lease,
and on my