'Have you--are you a professional of any kind?' inquired Miss Hippy. 'Not that I object to professional ladies--they are often very pleasant. Madame Solfreno resided here for several weeks while she was retrenching; but Madame Solfreno was, of course, more or less an exceptional woman. She did not care--at least, while she was retrenching--for the society of other professionals, and she said that was the great advantage of my house--none of them ever would come here. Still, as I say, I have no personal objection to professionals. In fact, we have had head-ladies here; and real ladies, I must say, I have generally found them. Although hands, of course, I would not take!' I said I was not a professional. 'Oh!' said Miss Hippy, pitiably baffled. 'Then, perhaps, you are not a--a young lady. That is, of course, one can see you are that; but you are--you are married, perhaps?' 'I am not married, madame,' I said. 'Have you any rooms to let?' Miss Hippy rose, ponderingly. 'I might as well show you what we have,' she said. 'I think,' I replied, 'that you might as well. Otherwise I will not detain you any longer.' At which, curiously enough, all hesitation vanished from Miss Hippy's manner, and she showed me all her rooms, and expatiated upon all their advantages with a single eye to persuading me to occupy one of them. So comprehensively voluble was she, indeed, and so impenetrably did she fill up the door with her broad person when we came down again, that I found no loophole of escape anywhere, and was obliged to descend to equivocal measures. 'Have you any rooms, Miss Hippy,' I inquired, 'on the ground floor?' 'That,' returned Miss Hippy, as if I had put her the only possible question that she was not prepared for, 'I have not. A gentleman from the West Indies'--Miss Hippy went on impressively--'hardly ever without inflammatory rheumatism, which you will admit makes stairs an impossibility for him, occupies my only ground-floor bedroom--just off the dining-room!' 'That is unfortunate,' I said, 'since I think in this house I would prefer a room on the ground-floor. But if I decide to take one of the others I will let you know, Miss Hippy.' Miss Hippy's countenance fell, changed, and again became expressive of doubt--this time offensively. 'I've not asked for any references,' though, of course, it is my custom----' 'You will receive references,' I interrupted, 'as soon as you require them. Good afternoon!' We were standing in the hall, and Miss Hippy, from force of circumstances, was obliged to unfasten the door; but I did not hear from her, as I passed out into the street, any responsive 'Good afternoon!'