f this, to one
circumstanced as M. Zola was, must be obvious. A person lodging in one of
the pavilions can come and go freely. There is no vast hall to cross,
with a dozen servants standing around, ready to scrutinise you as you
pass in and out. You have your suite of rooms in one or another pavilion,
you take your meals there in your own dining-room, and you can shut
yourself off, as it were, from the greater part of the establishment and
enjoy privacy and quiet. This, no doubt, is the reason why so many
well-to-do people, who dislike the stir and bustle of the ordinary hotel,
patronise the hostelry at Upper Norwood.

There at one time--when consulting Sir Morell Mackenzie, I
believe--stayed the unfortunate Emperor Frederick; and now it may add to
its list of patrons the most famous Frenchman of his day.

It seemed to Wareham and me that the Queen's Hotel would, under the
circumstances, prove an ideal retreat for M. Zola. Moreover, Upper
Norwood stands on very high ground, and it was probable therefore that he
would largely escape the winter fogs. Of course the Crystal Palace was
comparatively near, but it was not very largely patronised in the winter,
and, besides, if M. Zola wished to escape a crowd, he had only to take
his walks in another direction.

The Queen's Hotel stands back from the road; but, in the first instance,
as a precautionary measure it was thought best to select for M. Zola a
suite of rooms overlooking the extensive gardens. As time went on,
however, the trees lost their last leaves, the vista from these rooms,
charming enough in summer, became very cheerless. So the master's
quarters were shifted to a larger suite on the ground floor, with the
windows of the two communicating sitting-rooms overlooking both the road
and the garden.

The two sitting-rooms were an advantage, particularly during the time
that Mme. Zola stayed at the Queen's Hotel (for she joined her husband on
and off), as he could devote one of them entirely to his work. But when
Mme. Zola finally left England (in a very ailing state, after a terrible
cold had kept her within doors for some weeks) her husband moved once
again, and installed himself on the second floor, where the rooms were
smaller and therefore easier to warm. It was then mid-winter.

The various rooms M. Zola occupied and in which he spent from seven to
eight months--that is by far the greater portion of his exile--were all
part of the same house or pavilion, th