Two posts set up at the entrance to the Lane showed that it was no thoroughfare for vehicles.

The houses were of three storeys.

There were two or three dirty little shops, but the rest were ordinary lodging-houses, the front-doors standing wide open as a matter of course, exhibiting a dusky passage, filthy stairs, with generally a glimpse right through into the yard in the rear.

In Elm Court the houses were smaller, and had their fronts whitewashed.

Under the archway which led into the Court were fastened up several written notices of rooms to be let at this or that number.