"A theatre and a music-hall in Whitechapel Road. That has to serve for two millions of people. Now, if this young heiress wanted to do any good, she should build a Palace of Pleasure here."
"A Palace of Pleasure!" she repeated. "It sounds well. Should it be a kind of a Crystal Palace?"
"Well!" It was quite a new idea, but he replied as if he had been considering the subject for years. "Not quite—with modifications."
"Let us talk over your Palace of Pleasure," she said, "at another time. It sounds well. What else should she do?"
"That is such a gigantic thing that it seems enough for one person to attempt. However, we can find something else for her—why, take schools. There is not a public school for the whole two millions of East London. Not one place in which boys—to say nothing of girls, can be brought up in generous ideas. She must establish at least half a dozen public schools for boys and as many for girls."
"That is a very good idea. Will you write and tell her so?"
"Then there are libraries, reading-rooms, clubs, but all these would form part of the Palace of Pleasure."
"Of course. I would rather call it a Palace of Delight. Pleasure seems to touch a lower note. We could have music-rooms for concerts as well."
"And a school for music." The young man became animated as the scheme unfolded itself.
"And a school for dancing."