Upon this, I walked in, and in pursuance of the servant's directions walked upstairs; conscious, as I passed the back parlour-door, that I was surveyed by a mysterious eye, probably belonging to the mysterious voice.
When I got to the top of the stairs--the house was only a story high above the ground floor--Traddles was on the landing to meet me.

He was delighted to see me, and gave me welcome, with great heartiness, to his little room.

It was in the front of the house, and extremely neat, though sparely furnished.

It was his only room, I saw; for there was a sofa-bedstead in it, and his blacking-brushes and blacking were among his books--on the top shelf, behind a dictionary.

His table was covered with papers, and he was hard at work in an old coat.