The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition, Vol. 05Stevenson, Robert Louis
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The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition, Vol. 05
Stevenson, Robert Louis
English literature -- 19th century; Fiction
Behind the dining-room, that pleasant library, referred to by the old
lady in her tale, looked upon the flat roofs and netted cupolas of the
kitchen quarters; and on a second visit, this room appeared to greet him
with a smiling countenance. He might as well, he thought, avoid the
expense of lodging: the library fitted with an iron bedstead which he
had remarked, in one of the upper chambers, would serve his purpose for
the night; while in the dining-room, which was large, airy, and
lightsome, looking on the square and garden, he might very agreeably
pass his days, cook his meals, and study to bring himself to some
proficiency in that art of painting which he had recently determined to
adopt. It did not take him long to make the change: he had soon returned
to the mansion with his modest kit; and the cabman who brought him was
readily induced, by the young man's pleasant manner and a small
gratuity, to assist him in the installation of the iron bed. By six in
the evening, when Somerset went forth to dine, he was able to look back
upon the mansion with a sense of pride and property. Four-square it
stood, of an imposing frontage, and flanked on either side by family
hatchments. His eye, from where he stood whistling in the key, with his
back to the garden railings, reposed on every feature of reality; and
yet his own possession seemed as flimsy as a dream.
In the course of a few days, the genteel inhabitants of the square began
to remark the customs of their neighbour. The sight of a young gentleman
discussing a clay pipe, about four o'clock of the afternoon, in the
drawing-room balcony of so discreet a mansion; and perhaps still more,
his periodical excursion to a decent tavern in the neighbourhood, and
his unabashed return, nursing the full tankard: had presently raised to
a high pitch the interest and indignation of the liveried servants of
the square. The disfavour of some of these gentlemen at first proceeded
to the length of insult; but Somerset knew how to be affable with any
class of men; and a few rude words merrily accepted, and a few glasses
amicably shared, gained for him the right of toleration.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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