And if she didn't
chance to "let" steadily, out she went to pauperdom and some other poor,
sordid old adventurer tried in her place....
It is a foolish community that can house whole classes, useful and
helpful, honest and loyal classes, in such squalidly unsuitable
dwellings. It is by no means the social economy it seems, to use up old
women, savings and inexperience in order to meet the landlord's demands.
But any one who doubts this thing is going on right up to to-day need
only spend an afternoon in hunting for lodgings in any of the regions of
London I have named.
But where has my story got to? My uncle, I say, decided I must be shown
London, and out we three went as soon as my aunt had got her hat on, to
catch all that was left of the day.
VI
It pleased my uncle extremely to find I had never seen London before. He
took possession of the metropolis forthwith. "London, George," he said,
"takes a lot of understanding. It's a great place. Immense. The richest
town in the world, the biggest port, the greatest manufacturing town,
the Imperial city--the centre of civilisation, the heart of the world!
See those sandwich men down there! That third one's hat! Fair treat! You
don't see poverty like that in Wimblehurst George! And many of them high
Oxford honour men too.
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