acteristics which meant nothing in particular--save as they
resulted from a more or less hard life amid London's crowd; at present,
the woman annoyed him, and only the clean freshness of her vacant rooms
induced him to take the trouble of coming to terms with her.

"There's one thing I must say to you quite plain, to begin with,"
remarked Mrs. Wick, whose language, though not disrespectful, had a
certain bluntness. "I can't admit female visitors--not on any excuse."

Speaking thus, she set her face at its rigidest and sourest, and stared
past Warburton at the wall. He, unable to repress a smile, declared his
perfect readiness to accept this condition of tenancy.

"Another thing," pursued the landlady, "is that I don't like late
hours." And she eyed him as one might a person caught in flagrant
crapulence at one o'clock a.m.

"Why, neither do I," Will replied. "But for all that, I may be obliged
to come home late now and then."

"From the theatre, I suppose?"

"I very seldom go to the theatre." (Mrs. Wick looked sanguine for an
instant, but at once relapsed into darker suspicion than ever.) "But as
to my hour of returning home, I must have entire liberty."

The woman meditated, profound gloom on her brows.

"You haven't told me," she resumed, shooting a glance of keen distrust,
"exactly what your business may be."

"I am in the sugar line," responded Will.

"Sugar? You wouldn't mind giving me the name of your employers?"

The word so rasped on Warburton's sensitive temper that he seemed about
to speak angrily. This the woman observed, and added at once:

"I don't doubt but that you're quite respectable, sir, but you can
understand as I have to be careful who I take into my house."

"I understand that, but I must ask you to be satisfied with a reference
to my present landlord. That, and a month's payment in advance, ought
to suffice."

Evidently it did, for Mrs. Wick, after shooting one or two more of her
sharpest looks, declared herself willing to enter into discussion of
details. He required attendance, did he? Well it all depended upon what
sort of attendance he expected; if he wanted cooking at late
hours.--Warburton cut short these anticipatory objections, and made
known that his wants were few and simple: plain breakfast at eight
o'clock, cold supper on the table when he came home, a mid-day meal on
Sundays, and the keeping of his rooms in order; that was all. After
morose reflection, Mrs. Wick put he