[Frontispiece]

Life In London

Or The

Pitfalls Of A Great City

By Edwin Hodder, Esq.

1890.

Contents.

The Introduction
School-Boy Days
Starting Well
Meeting A School-Fellow
A Farce
The Lecture
Getting On In The World
A Test Of Friendship
In Exile
Making Discoveries
The Sick Chamber

Chapter I.

The Introduction.

Breathless and excited, George Weston came running down a street inIslington. He knocked at the door of No. 16, and in his impatience,until it was opened, commenced a tattoo with his knuckles upon thepanels.

"Oh, mother, mother, I have got such splendid news!" he cried, as hehurried down stairs into the room where Mrs. Weston, with her apron onand sleeves tucked up, was busy in her domestic affairs. "Such splendidnews!" repeated George. "I have been down to Mr. Compton's with theletter Uncle Henry gave me, in which he said I wanted a situation, andshould be glad if Mr. Compton could help me; and, sure enough, I wasable to see him, and he is such a kind, fatherly old gentlemen, mother.I am sure I shall like him."

"Well, George, and what did he say!"

"Oh! I've got ever so much to tell you, before I come to that part. Theoffice, you know, is in Falcon Court, Fleet Street; such a dismal place,with the houses all crammed together, and a little space in front, notmore than large enough to turn a baker's bread-truck in. All the windowsare of ground glass, as if the people inside were too busy to see out,or to be seen; and on every door there are lots of names of people whohave their offices there, and some of them are actually right up at thetop storeys of the houses. Well, I found out the name of Mr. Compton,and I tapped at a door where 'Clerk's Office' was written. I think Iought not to have tapped, but to have gone in, for somebody said rathersharply, 'Come in,' and in I went. An old gentleman was standing besidea sort of counter, with a lot of heavy books on it, and he asked me whatI wanted. I said I wanted to see Mr. Compton, and had got a letter forhim. He told me to sit down until Mr. Compton was disengaged, and thenhe would see me."

"And what sort of an office was it, George? And who was the oldgentleman? The manager, I suppose!"

"I think he was, because he seemed to do as he liked, and all the clerkstalked in a whisper while he was there. I had to wait more thanhalf-an-hour, and I was able to look round and see all that was goingon. It is a large office, and there were ten clerks seated onuncomfortable high stools, without backs, poring over books and papers.I don't think I shall like those clerks, they stared at me so rudely,and I felt so ashamed, because one looked hard at me, and then whisperedto another: and I believe they were saying something about my boots,which you know, mother, are terribly down at heel, and so I put one footover the other, to try and hide them."

"There was no need of that, George. It did not alter the fact that theywer

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