The Argosy — page 164: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

150 What Our Advertisement Brought. Afraid of committing myself if I answered rashly, I took a long time to deliberate. But I came to think with Deborah, because I could not propose anything else on my own account ; and it all came be settled so. Two months after that, we were beginning to feel settled in our house in but I think, for several reasons, I had better not say in what favourite suburb of London; and the greater number of our favourite goods and chattels were about us. The house was certainly one of a terrace, and we were too country-bred to relish that, but still (as De- borah said) it was all the safer. Gradually we grew to know our neighbours a little—by sight I mean, the windows being as pleasant parts of the room as any other to sit in. But one we knew personally, having chanced to make his acquaintance during our troublesome removal. He is a bachelor, living next door to us, and, for all profession, he is “‘on” one of the daily papers. I’m sure I don’t know exactly what it means, or why he should be there when he looks clever enough to be an author or a poet. But he says he is ‘‘on it,” and seems satisfied ; and so, as Deborah says, “it is unnecessary for us to regret it.” I should have fancied it would not be very profitable for a gentleman to be on a paper that you can buy anywhere for a penny, but I don’t know what to say when I see his house, for it 1s most handsomely furnished, and there is only himself and his housekeeper to occupy it. The first floor of each house’ in this terrace contains a drawing-room to the front and bed-room to the back. Mr. Hall sits to write in the drawing-room, and sleeps in the room behind. In our house those are the two rooms we want to let; and, though I say it that should not—also Deborah who should not either,—two more comfortable rooms could nowhere be found. ‘You should not say so, Lavinia,” Deborah used to plead; “ still if any one had a right to look for a permanent and grateful tenant, I think. it would be ourselves.” The next thing, of course, was to get this permanent and grateful tenant ; and we began to draw up our advertisement ; for Mr. Hall (that. is our next door neighbour on the left—the house next to ours on. the right is unfortunately vacant) had told us emphatically that an adver- tisement was our best agent. We drew it up between us. Don’t imagine. that I mean we drew it up that night. No; ours was not an adver- tisement to be hastily compressed within the limits of one evening. That was Saturday, and by the next Thursday it was ready for us to leave at the office of the paper ; for we knew the post was no vehicle for: such a document as this. * Eleven shillings,”’ said the clerk, counting the words as indifferently as if they had been common-place ones. “Eleven shillings !” echoed Deborah, ruefully. “Is that not rather: high P” COMMUGIOOKGS (C(O) in —_)