Their ground floor shops were all occupied by laundries with one exception--a green-painted store front typical of a small-town hair-dresser.

Its shop windows were full of variously colored flasks.

It lighted up this drab corner with the gay brightness of its copper bowls which were always shining.
The most pleasant part of the street was in between, where the buildings were fewer and lower, letting in more sunlight.

The carriage sheds, the plant which manufactured soda water, and the wash-house opposite made a wide expanse of quietness.

The muffled voices of the washerwomen and the rhythmic puffing of the steam engine seemed to deepen the almost religious silence.