His wit overjoyed Mrs. Nash. “You'll find Boston an awful hard place to get along,” she said, shaking her head with a warning smile. “I shouldn't think so, by the price Boston people ask for their rooms,” returned Bartley. “If I had rooms to let, I should get along pretty easily.” This again delighted the landlady. “I guess you aint goin' to get out of spirits, anyway,” she said. “Well,” she continued, “I _have_ got a room 't I guess would suit you. Unexpectedly vacated.” She seemed to recur to the language of an advertisement in these words, which she pronounced as if reading them. “It's pretty high up,” she said, with another warning shake of the head. “Stairs to get to it?” asked Bartley. “Plenty of _stairs_.” “Well, when a place is pretty high up, I like to have plenty of stairs to get to it. I guess we'll see it, Marcia.” He rose. “Well, I'll just go up and see if it's _fit_ to be seen, first,” said the landlady. “Oh, Bartley!” said Marcia, when she had left them alone, “how _could_ you joke so about our just being married!” “Well, I saw she wanted awfully to ask. And anybody can tell by looking at us, anyway. We can't keep that to ourselves, any more than we can our greenness. Besides, it's money in our pockets; she'll take something off our board for it, you'll see. Now, will you manage the bargaining from this on? I stepped forward because the rooms were for gentlemen only.” “I guess I'd better,” said Marcia. “All right; then I'll take a back seat from this out.” “Oh, I do _hope_ it won't be too much!” sighed the young wife. “I'm so _tired_, looking.” “You can come right along up,” the landlady called down through the oval spire formed by the ascending hand-rail of the stairs. They found her in a broad, low room, whose ceiling sloped with the roof, and had the pleasant irregularity of the angles and recessions of two dormer windows. The room was clean and cosey; there was a table, and a stove that could be used open or shut; Marcia squeezed Bartley's arm to signify that it would do perfectly--if only the price would suit. The landlady stood in the middle of the floor and lectured: “Now, there! I get five dollars a week for this room; and I gen'ly let it to two gentlemen. It's just been vacated by two gentlemen unexpectedly; and it's hard to get gentlemen at this time the year; and that's the reason I thought of takin' you. As I _say_, I don't much like ladies for inmates, and so I put in the window 'for gentlemen only.' But it's no use bein' too particular; I can't have the room layin' empty on my hands. If it suits you, you can have it for four dollars. It's high up, and there's no use tryin' to deny it. But there aint such another view as them winders commands anywheres. You can see the harbor, and pretty much the whole coast.” “Anything extra for the view?” said Bartley, glancing out. “No, I throw that in.” “Does the price include gas and fire?” asked Marcia, sharpened as to all details by previous interviews.