“I stayed rather late at the office to-night,” said George, as he blew out those great clouds with which young men demonstrate to the world that the cigarette is actually lighted.  And as Mr. Haim, who was accustomed to the boastings of articled pupils, made no comment, George proceeded, lolling on the settle and showing his socks:  “You know, I like Chelsea.  I’ve always had a fancy for it.”  He was just about to continue cosmopolitanly:  “It’s the only part of London that’s like Paris.  The people in the King’s Road,” etc., when fortunately he remembered that Mr. Haim must have overheard these remarks of Mr. Enwright, and ceased, rather awkwardly.  Whereupon Mr. Haim suggested that he should see the house, and George said eagerly that he should like to see the house.

“We’ve got one bedroom more than we want,” Mr. Haim remarked as he led George to the hall.

“Oh yes!” said George politely.

The hall had a small bracket-lamp, which Mr. Haim unhooked, and then he opened a door opposite to the door of the room which they had quitted.

“Now this is a bedroom,” said he, holding the lamp high.

George was startled.  A ground-floor bedroom would have been unthinkable at Bedford Park.  Still, in a flat....  Moreover, the idea had piquancy.  The bedroom was sparsely furnished.  Instead of a wardrobe it had a corner curtained off with cretonne.

“A good-sized room,” said Mr. Haim.

“Very,” said George.  “Two windows, too, like the drawing-room.”  Then they went upstairs to the first floor, and saw two more bedrooms, each with two windows.  One of them was Miss Haim’s; there was a hat hung on the looking-glass, and a table with a few books on it.  They did not go to the second floor.  The staircase to the second floor was boarded up at the point where it turned.

“That’s all there is,” said Mr. Haim on the landing.  “The studio people have the second floor, but they don’t use my front door.”  He spoke the last words rather defiantly.

“I see,” said George untruthfully, for he was mystified.  But the mystery did not trouble him.

There was no bathroom, and this did not trouble him either, though at Bedford Park he could never have seriously considered a house without a bathroom.

“You could have your choice of ground floor or first floor,” said Mr. Haim confidentially, still on the landing.  He moved the lamp about, and the shadows moved accordingly on the stairs.

“Oh, I don’t mind in the least,” George answered.  “Whichever would suit you best.”

“We could give you breakfast, and use of sitting-room,” Mr. Haim proceeded in a low tone.  “But no other meals.”

“That would be all right,” said George cheerfully.  “I often dine in town.  Like that I can get in a bit of extra work at the office, you see.”

“Except on Sundays,” Mr. Haim corrected himself.  “You’d want your meals on Sundays, of course.  But I expect you’re out a good deal, what with one thing or another.”