The Lodger | Page 8

question of which the answer would mean so much to her,
"Then you mean to take my rooms, sir?"
"This room, certainly," he said, looking round. "This room is exactly
what I have been looking for, and longing for, the last few days;" and
then hastily he added, "I mean this kind of place is what I have always
wanted to possess, Mrs. Bunting. You would be surprised if you knew
how difficult it is to get anything of the sort. But now my weary search
has ended, and that is a relief --a very, very great relief to me!"
He stood up and looked round him with a dreamy, abstracted air. And
then, "Where's my bag?" he asked suddenly, and there came a note of
sharp, angry fear in his voice. He glared at the quiet woman standing
before him, and for a moment Mrs. Bunting felt a tremor of fright shoot
through her. It seemed a pity that Bunting was so far away, right down
the house.
But Mrs. Bunting was aware that eccentricity has always been a
perquisite, as it were the special luxury, of the well-born and of the
well-educated. Scholars, as she well knew, are never quite like other
people, and her new lodger was undoubtedly a scholar. "Surely I had a
bag when I came in?" he said in a scared, troubled voice.
"Here it is, sir," she said soothingly, and, stooping, picked it up and
handed it to him. And as she did so she noticed that the bag was not at
all heavy; it was evidently by no means full.
He took it eagerly from her. "I beg your pardon," he muttered. "But
there is something in that bag which is very precious to me --something

I procured with infinite difficulty, and which I could never get again
without running into great danger, Mrs. Bunting. That must be the
excuse for my late agitation."
"About terms, sir?" she said a little timidly, returning to the subject
which meant so much, so very much to her.
"About terms?" he echoed. And then there came a pause. "My name is
Sleuth," he said suddenly,--"S-l-e-u-t-h. Think of a hound, Mrs.
Bunting, and you'll never forget my name. I could provide you with a
reference--" (he gave her what she described to herself as a funny,
sideways look), "but I should prefer you to dispense with that, if you
don't mind. I am quite willing to pay you--well, shall we say a month in
advance?"
A spot of red shot into Mrs. Bunting's cheeks. She felt sick with
relief--nay, with a joy which was almost pain. She had not known till
that moment how hungry she was--how eager for--a good meal. "That
would be all right, sir," she murmured.
"And what are you going to charge me?" There had come a kindly,
almost a friendly note into his voice. "With attendance, mind! I shall
expect you to give me attendance, and I need hardly ask if you can
cook, Mrs. Bunting?"
"Oh, yes, sir," she said. "I am a plain cook. What would you say to
twenty-five shillings a week, sir?" She looked at him deprecatingly, and
as he did not answer she went on falteringly, "You see, sir, it may seem
a good deal, but you would have the best of attendance and careful
cooking--and my husband, sir--he would be pleased to valet you."
"I shouldn't want anything of that sort done for me," said Mr. Sleuth
hastily. "I prefer looking after my own clothes. I am used to waiting on
myself. But, Mrs. Bunting, I have a great dislike to sharing lodgings--"
She interrupted eagerly, "I could let you have the use of the two floors
for the same price--that is, until we get another lodger. I shouldn't like
you to sleep in the back room up here, sir. It's such a poor little room.

You could do as you say, sir--do your work and your experiments up
here, and then have your meals in the drawing-room."
"Yes," he said hesitatingly, "that sounds a good plan. And if I offered
you two pounds, or two guineas? Might I then rely on your not taking
another lodger?"
"Yes," she said quietly. "I'd be very glad only to have you to wait on,
sir."
"I suppose you have a key to the door of this room, Mrs. Bunting? I
don't like to be disturbed while I'm working."
He waited a moment, and then said again, rather urgently, "I suppose
you have a key to this door, Mrs. Bunting?"
"Oh, yes, sir, there's a key--a very nice little key. The people who lived
here before had a new kind of lock put on to the door." She went over,
and throwing the door open, showed him that a round