The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Paying Guest, by George Gissing

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Title: The Paying Guest

Author: George Gissing

Posting Date: July 7, 2009 [EBook #4298]
Release Date: July, 2003
First Posted: January 1, 2002

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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Produced by Charles Aldarondo. HTML version by Al Haines.

The Paying Guest

by

George Gissing

CHAPTER I

It was Mumford who saw the advertisement and made the suggestion.
His wife gave him a startled look.

'But--you don't mean that it's necessary? Have we been extrav--'

'No, no! Nothing of the kind. It just occurred to me that some such
arrangement might be pleasant for you. You must feel lonely, now and
then, during the day, and as we have plenty of room--'

Emmeline took the matter seriously, but, being a young woman of some
discretion, did not voice all her thoughts. The rent was heavy: so
was the cost of Clarence's season-ticket. Against this they had set
the advantage of the fine air of Sutton, so good for the child and
for the mother, both vastly better in health since they quitted
London. Moreover, the remoteness of their friends favoured economy;
they could easily decline invitations, and need not often issue
them. They had a valid excuse for avoiding public entertainments--an
expense so often imposed by mere fashion. The house was roomy, the
garden delightful. Clarence, good fellow, might be sincere in his
wish for her to have companionship; at the same time, this
advertisement had probably appealed to him in another way.

'A YOUNG LADY desires to find a home with respectable,
well-connected family, in a suburb of London, or not more than 15
miles from Charing Cross. Can give excellent references. Terms not
so much a consideration as comfort and pleasant society. No
boarding-house.--Address: Louise, Messrs. Higgins & Co., Fenchurch
St., E.C.'

She read it again and again.

'It wouldn't be nice if people said that we were taking lodgers.'

'No fear of that. This is evidently some well-to-do person. It's a
very common arrangement nowadays, you know; they are called "paying
guest