ed, ignored them, she and her
goods would now be ejected into the street, according to the law. It
gave her twenty-four hours to flit. Never had a respectable dame been so
insulted as Mrs Machin was insulted by that notice. The prospect of
camping out in Brougham Street confronted her. When Denry reached home
that evening, Mrs Machin, as the phrase is, "gave it him."

Denry admitted frankly that he was nonplussed, staggered and outraged.
But the thing was simply another proof of Mr Wilbraham's madness. After
tea he decided that his mother must put on her best clothes, and go up
with him to see Mr Wilbraham and firmly expostulate--in fact, they would
arrange the situation between them; and if Mr Wilbraham was obstinate
they would defy Mr Wilbraham. Denry explained to his mother that an
Englishwoman's cottage was her castle, that a landlord's minions had no
right to force an entrance, and that the one thing that Mr Wilbraham
could do was to begin unbuilding the cottage from the top outside....
And he would like to see Mr Wilbraham try it on!

So the sealskin mantle (for it was spring again) went up with Denry to
Bleakridge.

IV

The moon shone in the chill night. The house stood back from Trafalgar
Road in the moonlight--a squarish block of a building.

"Oh!" said Mrs Machin, "it isn't so large."

"No! He didn't want it large. He only wanted it large enough," said
Denry, and pushed a button to the right of the front door. There was no
reply, though they heard the ringing of the bell inside. They waited.
Mrs Machin was very nervous, but thanks to her sealskin mantle she was
not cold.

"This is a funny doorstep," she remarked, to kill time.

"It's of marble," said Denry.

"What's that for?" asked his mother.

"So much easier to keep clean," said Denry.

"Well," said Mrs Machin, "it's pretty dirty now, anyway."

It was.

"Quite simple to clean," said Denry, bending down. "You just turn this
tap at the side. You see, it's so arranged that it sends a flat jet
along the step. Stand off a second."

He turned the tap, and the step was washed pure in a moment.

"How is it that that water steams?" Mrs Machin demanded.

"Because it's hot," said Denry. "Did you ever know water steam for any
other reason?"

"Hot water outside?"

"Just as easy to have hot water outside as inside, isn't it?" said
Denry.

"Well, I never!" exclaimed Mrs Machin. She was impressed.

"That's how everything's dodged up in this hou