“With the exception of Mrs. S. Smith, who let the house to Peace, the latter kept himself very ‘reserved’ so far as his neighbours were concerned, and as the neighbours thought that the Thompsons—as they called themselves—were well-to-do people, considerably above their station—they did not like to intrude themselves upon the newcomers’ notice.
“The house of this gentleman is a better one than that occupied by Peace, and is in a more pretentious road. There is an apartment underneath the level of the roadway, with a large open window, and it was this window which was ‘frosted.’
“I saw no other window on the road treated in that fashion. Of course it may have been done simply to prevent prying people from looking in, though none of the neighbours seem to have thought it necessary to take similar precautions.
“Three knocks with the knocker failed to elicit any answer, and I was leaving to try my luck elsewhere, when a comely-looking lady put her head out. Happening to look back at the time, I noticed her, and returned.
“She kept me standing at the door for some time, but eventually, on my telling her as much of my business as I thought it prudent to mention, she asked me in, adding, as she showed me into a parlour, ‘I don’t think he will tell you anything about that.’
“She closed the door, and left me to myself. The parlour, I had been told, was mainly furnished with articles from Peace’s house.
“I sat down in one of the chairs belonging to the walnut suite which had adorned Peace’s parlour, and here I may say that if the walnut suite is a fair sample of the ‘luxurious furnishings’ at 5, East-terrace, you must not suppose that there was anything very palatial about the place.
“In fact, the longer I inquire into this man’s establishment the glory of it seemeth to fade away. The suite is a fairly good one, covered with rep, in green and gold stripes, considerably faded by wear—such a suite as the esteemed auctioneer over the way from your office would knock down any day for fifteen or sixteen guineas, and think he had done fairly well for the seller, and not badly for the buyer.
“In the room was also a harmonium, on which ‘Mr. Thompson,’ ‘Mrs. Thompson,’ and the boy ‘Ward’—of whom more anon—used to play sacred and other music.
“It is a fair-looking instrument, worth perhaps a ten-pound note. There are other nick-nacks which had also been obtained from Peace’s establishment.