room or rooms, and then for his board he is charged
for every separate article that he orders; so that, so far as he takes
his meals away from his lodgings, either by breakfasting or dining, or
taking tea at the houses of friends, or at public coffee rooms, he has
nothing to pay at his lodging house excepting the rent of his rooms.

There are a great many of these lodging houses about London. They are
found on all the side streets leading off from all the great
thoroughfares. They are known, generally, by a little card in the
window, with the words, "FURNISHED APARTMENTS," written upon it. Mr.
George and Rollo found lodgings, as was stated in the last chapter, in a
house of this kind, situated in Northumberland Court.

Northumberland Court is so named from its being situated on a part of
what were formerly the grounds of the town mansion of the famous dukes
of Northumberland. I have already stated, some chapters back, that in
former times the English nobles built magnificent houses on the great
banks of the Thames, between the road called the Strand, which led from
Westminster towards London, and the banks of the river. Since the days
when these mansions were erected, the whole space around them, between
the Strand and the river, has become completely filled with streets,
squares, courts, and lanes, the names of which were often derived from
those of the families on whose grounds they were built. The court where
Mr. George and Rollo found their lodgings was called Northumberland
Court for this reason. The entrance to it was under an archway a few
steps beyond the great Northumberland House itself--a massive and
venerable edifice, that is still standing. In fact, the Duke of
Northumberland resides in it, when he is in town, to this day.

Mr. George and Rollo noticed the front of Northumberland House as they
passed it, on the day when they were looking out for lodgings, as
described in the last chapter, and, very soon coming to the archway
which led into the court, they stopped to look in. There was a small
iron gate across the entrance to the archway, but it was open.

"This is a cunning-looking place," said Mr. George; "let us look in."

So he and Rollo walked in under the archway.

"This is a snug place," said Rollo.

"Yes," said Mr. George; "this is just the place for us. We will look
around and find the best house, and then knock at the door and look at
the rooms."

So, after walking up and down the court on