‘I must go and explain to her, I suppose, to-morrow morning,’ said the Admiral.

However, he had scarcely reached his own gate before the ulstered form was seen rushing up to him.

‘Oh!  Admiral Merrifield, good-morning; I was coming to ask you—­’

‘And I was coming to you.’

’Oh!  Admiral, is it really so—­as that impudent man told me—­that those horrid people can’t be got out of those awful tumbledown, unhealthy places for all that immense time?’

’Surely he was not impudent to you?  He was only asserting his right.  The cottages were taken by the year, and you have no choice but to give six months’ notice.  I hope he was not disrespectful.’

’Well, no—­I can’t say that he was, though I don’t care for those cap-in-hand ways of your people here.  But at any rate, he says he won’t go—­no, not any of them, though I offered to pay them up to the end of the time, and now I must put off my beautiful plans.  I was drawing them all yesterday morning—­two model cottages on each side, and the drinking fountain in the middle.  I brought them up to show you.  Could you get the people to move out?  I would promise them to return after the rebuilding.’

‘Very nice drawings.  Yes—­yes—­very kind intentions.’

‘Then can’t you persuade them?’

’But, my dear young lady, have you thought what is to become of them in the meantime?’

’Why, live somewhere else!  People in Smokeland were always shifting about.’

’Yes—­those poor little town tenements are generally let on short terms and are numerous enough.  But here—­where are the vacant cottages for your four families?  Hodd with his five children, Tibbins with eight or nine, Mrs. West and her widow daughter and three children, and the Porters with a bedridden father?’

‘They are dreadfully overcrowded.  Is there really no place?’

’Probably not nearer than those trumpery new tenements at Bonchamp.  That would be eight miles to be tramped to the men’s work, and the Wests would lose the washing and charing that maintains them.’

’Then do you think it can never be done?  See how nice my plans are!’

‘Oh yes! very pretty drawings, but you don’t allow much outlet.’

’I thought you had allotments, and that they would do, and I mean to get rid of the pig-sties.’

‘A most unpopular proceeding, I warn you.’

‘There’s nothing more unsanitary than a pig-sty.’

’That depends on how it is kept.  And may I ask, do you mean also to dispense with staircases?’

’Oh!  I forgot.  But do you really mean to say that I can never carry out my improvements, and that these people must live all herded together till everybody is dead?’

‘Not quite that,’ said the Admiral, laughing; ’but most improvements require patience and a little experience of the temper and habits of the people.  There are cottages worse than these.  I think two of them have four rooms, and the Wests and Porters do not require so much.  If you built one or two elsewhere, and moved the people into them, or waited for a vacant one, you might carry out some of your plans—­gradually.’