er
last summer in London there was "a small sitting to let to a young
lady." Lodgings, by the way, are usually "apartments" in England, as
you know. Though, indeed, it is true that when a gentleman rents over
there what we call a "furnished room" he is commonly said to "go into
lodgings." A fine phrase, that; it is like to that fine old expression
"commencing author." And that reminds me: the most fascinating
lodgings to hunt, perhaps, anywhere, are called "chambers." These
which I mean are in the old Inns of Court in London. And the most
charming of these remaining is Staple Inn, off Holborn. I used
frequently to hunt chambers in "the fayrest Inne of Chancerie." There
are no "modern conveniences" there. You draw your own water at a pump
in the venerable quadrangle, and you "find" your own light. But to
return:

There was also last summer an apartment to let to a "respectable man"
or, the announcement said, it "might do for friends." One of the
reasons why many people are bored by hunting lodgings is that they are
not humble in spirit. They seek proud lodgings.

As to apartment houses, which are a very different matter: the
newspapers publish at various seasons of the year copious
Apartment-House Directories, with innumerable half-tone illustrations
of these more or less sumptious places. And these directories are
competent commentaries on their subject. George Moore remarked, "With
business I have nothing to do--my concern is with art." Except that I
live in one, with apartment houses I have nothing to do--my concern is
with lodgings.

There is only one philosophical observation to be made upon apartment
houses. And that is this: How can all these people afford to live in
them? When you go to look at apartments you are shown a place that you
don't like particularly. You don't think, Oh, how I'd just love to
live here if I could only afford it! But you ask the rental as a
matter of form. And you learn that this apartment rents for a sum
greater (in all likelihood) than your entire salary. And yet, there
are miles and miles of apartment houses even better than that. And
goodness knows how many thousand people live in them! People whose
names you never see in the newspapers as ones important in business, in
society, art, literature, or anything else. Obscure people! Very
ordinary people! Now where do they get all that money? But about
lodgings:

I one time went to look at lodgings in Patch