New Settle Down

My clear wife Carrie and I have just been a week in our new house, "the Laurels," Brickfield," Brickfield Terrace, Holloway-a nice six-roomed residence, not counting basement, with a front breakfast-parlour. We have a lttle front garden; and there is a flight of ten steps up to the front door, which, by-the-by, we keep locked with the chain up. Cummings, Gowing, and our other intimate friends always come to the litle side entrance, which saves the servant the trouble of going up to the front dorr, thereby taking her from her work. We have a nice little back garden wich runs down to the railway. We were a nice little back garden which runs down to the railway. We were rather afraid of the noise of the trains at first, but the landlord said we should not notice them after a bit, and took 2 pounds off the rent. He was certainly right; and beyond the cracking of the garden wall at the bottom, we have suffered no inconvinience.

After my work in the city, I like to be at home. What's the good of a home, if you are never in it? "Home, Sweet Home," that's my motto. I am always in of an evening. Our old friend Gowing may drop in without ceremony; so may Cummings, who lives opposite. My dear wife Caroling and I are pleased to see them, if they like to drop in on us. But Carrie and I can manage to pass our evening together without friends. There is always something to be done: a tin-tack here, a Venetian blind to put straight, a fan to nail up, or part of a carpet to nail down-all of wich I can do with my pipe in my mouth; while Carrie is not about potting a button on a shirt, mending a pillow-case, or practising the "Sylvia Gavotte" on our new cottage piano (on the three years' system), manufactured by W.Bilkson, from Collard. It is also a great comfort to us to know that our boy Willie is getting on so well in the Bank at Oldham. We should like to see more of him.