The old man shook his head, and lapsed into silence.
The room was about eighteen feet long by fourteen or sixteen wide. In the daytime it was lighted by two windows which looked out into a sort of half yard and half garden, where there was a pump of good water, and a large stone sink.
The floor consisted of dirty boards, which were, however, sanded every morning.
The room had neither prints, pictures, blinds, or curtains, such articles being deemed altogether unnecessary.
There were, however, strange to say, no broken panes in the windows; but two ventilators whirled round in the upper portion of them, through which the hot air and smoke from the pipes gained egress.
The fireplace was at the farther end of the apartment.
Around the wall, and fixed to it firmly, were a line of benches, before which were tables, on which the vagrant opened his bag, his towel, his basket, or his wallet.
The favourite benches were those which were placed at the top of the room from the fireplace to each side, which were, in fact, cross benches.
Those who arrived last were obliged to content themselves with the forms which were not fixed.
The tables were by no means crowded, but they were tolerably full.