The house contained ten rooms in all, and its population (including seven children) amounted to twenty-three.

In this warm weather the atmosphere within doors might occasionally be a trifle close, but Shaftesbury Avenue is a fine broad street, and has great advantages of situation.
To Mr.Gammon's casual inquiry, Mrs.Bubb replied that she neither knew nor cared whither Polly had betaken herself.

Himself having no great curiosity in the matter, and being much absorbed in his endeavour to obtain an engagement with the house of Quodling, he let Polly slip from his mind for a few days, until one morning came a letter from her.
Positively, and to his vast surprise, a letter addressed to him by Miss Sparkes, with her abode fully indicated in the usual place.

True, the style of the epistle was informal.

It began: "You took advantage of me because there wasn't a man in the house to take my part, as I don't call that grinning monkey of a Cheeseman a man at all.