ommunity that can house whole classes, useful and
helpful, honest and loyal classes, in such squalidly unsuitable
dwellings. It is by no means the social economy it seems, to use up old
women, savings and inexperience in order to meet the landlord's demands.
But any one who doubts this thing is going on right up to to-day need
only spend an afternoon in hunting for lodgings in any of the regions of
London I have named.

But where has my story got to? My uncle, I say, decided I must be shown
London, and out we three went as soon as my aunt had got her hat on, to
catch all that was left of the day.

VI

It pleased my uncle extremely to find I had never seen London before. He
took possession of the metropolis forthwith. "London, George," he said,
"takes a lot of understanding. It's a great place. Immense. The richest
town in the world, the biggest port, the greatest manufacturing town,
the Imperial city--the centre of civilisation, the heart of the world!
See those sandwich men down there! That third one's hat! Fair treat! You
don't see poverty like that in Wimblehurst George! And many of them high
Oxford honour men too. Brought down by drink! It's a wonderful place,
George--a whirlpool, a maelstrom! whirls you up and whirls you down."

I have a very confused memory of that afternoon's inspection of
London. My uncle took us to and fro showing us over his London, talking
erratically, following a route of his own. Sometimes we were walking,
sometimes we were on the tops of great staggering horse omnibuses in
a heaving jumble of traffic, and at one point we had tea in an Aerated
Bread Shop. But I remember very distinctly how we passed down Park Lane
under an overcast sky, and how my uncle pointed out the house of this
child of good fortune and that with succulent appreciation.

I remember, too, that as he talked I would find my aunt watching my face
as if to check the soundness of his talk by my expression.

"Been in love yet, George?" she asked suddenly, over a bun in the
tea-shop.

"Too busy, aunt," I told her.

She bit her bun extensively, and gesticulated with the remnant to
indicate that she had more to say.

"How are YOU going to make your fortune?" she said so soon as she could
speak again. "You haven't told us that."

"'Lectricity," said my uncle, taking breath after a deep draught of tea.

"If I make it at all," I said. "For my part I think shall be satisfied
with something less than a fortune."

"We'r