He, unable to repress a smile, declared his perfect readiness to accept this condition of tenancy.
"Another thing," pursued the landlady, "is that I don't like late hours." And she eyed him as one might a person caught in flagrant crapulence at one o'clock a.m.
"Why, neither do I," Will replied.

"But for all that, I may be obliged to come home late now and then." "From the theatre, I suppose ?" "I very seldom go to the theatre." (Mrs.Wick looked sanguine for an instant, but at once relapsed into darker suspicion than ever.) "But as to my hour of returning home, I must have entire liberty." The woman meditated, profound gloom on her brows.
"You haven't told me," she resumed, shooting a glance of keen distrust, "exactly what your business may be." "I am in the sugar line," responded Will.
"Sugar?
You wouldn't mind giving me the name of your employers ?" The word so rasped on Warburton's sensitive temper that he seemed about to speak angrily.

This the woman observed, and added at once: "I don't doubt but that you're quite respectable, sir, but you can understand as I have to be careful who I take into my house." "I understand that, but I must ask you to be satisfied with a reference to my present landlord.

That, and a month's payment in advance, ought to suffice." Evidently it did, for Mrs.Wick, after shooting one or two more of her sharpest looks, declared herself willing to enter into discussion of details.

He required attendance, did he?
Well it all depended upon what sort of attendance he expected; if he wanted cooking at late hours .-- Warburton cut short these anticipatory objections, and made known that his wants were few and simple: plain breakfast at eight o'clock, cold supper on the table when he came home, a mid-day meal on Sundays, and the keeping of his rooms in order; that was all.