"Then don't, mamma; papa is really very good-natured."
The equinoxes now came on, and we had several gales of wind, with heavy rain--the slates blew off and rattled up and down all night, while the wind howled round the corner of the square. The next morning complaints from all the attic residents; one's bed was wetted quite through with the water dropping through the ceiling--another had been obliged to put a basin on the floor to catch the leak--all declared that the roof was like a sieve. Sent again for Mr Smithers, and made a complaint.
"This time, Mr Smithers," said I, with the lease in my hand, "I believe you will acknowledge these are landlord's repairs."
"Certainly, sir, certainly," exclaimed Mr Smithers; "I shall desire one of my men to look to it immediately; but the fact is, with such heavy gales, the slates must be expected to move a little. Duchesses and countesses are very light, and the wind gets underneath them."
"Duchesses and countesses very light!" exclaimed my wife; "what do you mean?"
"It's the term we give to slates, madam," replied he; "we cannot put on a heavy roof with a brick-and-a-half wall. It would not support one."
"_Brick-and-a-half_ wall!" exclaimed I;--"surely, Mr Smithers, that's not quite safe with a house so high."
"Not quite safe, my dear sir, if it were a single house; but," added he, "in a row, one house supports another."
"Thank Heaven," thought I, "I have but a three-years' lease, and sixth months are gone already."
But the annoyances up to this period were internal; we now had to experience the external nuisances attending a modern-built house.
"No. 1 is taken, papa, and they are getting the furniture in," said my eldest daughter one day; "I hope we shall have nice neighbours. And William told Mary that Mr Smithers told him, when he met him in the street, that he was now going to fit up No. 3 as fast as he could."
The report was true, as we found from the report of the carpenters' hammers for the next three or four weeks. We could not obtain a moment's sleep except in the early part of the night, or a minute's repose to our ears during the day. The sound appeared as if it was _in_ our house instead of next door; and it commenced at six o'clock in the morning, and lasted till seven in the evening. I was hammered to death; and, unfortunately, there was a constant succession of rain, which prevented me from going out to avoid it. I had nothing to do but to watch my pictures, as they jumped from the wall with the thumps of the hammers. At last No. 3 was floored, wainscotted and glazed, and we had a week's repose.