Village books

Any change in his mode of
life was an event. When in London he got up at 6.30 in the summer
and 7.30 in the winter, went into his sitting-room, lighted the
fire, put the kettle on and returned to bed. In half an hour he got
up again, fetched the kettle of hot water, emptied it into the cold
water that was already in his bath, refilled the kettle and put it
back on the fire. After dressing, he came into his sitting-room,
made tea and cooked, in his Dutch oven, something he had bought the
day before. His laundress was an elderly woman, and he could not
trouble her to come to his rooms so early in the morning; on the
other hand, he could not stay in bed until he thought it right for
her to go out; so it ended in his doing a great deal for himself.
He then got his breakfast and read the Times. At 9.30 Alfred came,
with whom he discussed anything requiring attention, and soon
afterwards his laundress arrived. Then he started to walk to the
British Museum, where he arrived about 10.30, every alternate
morning calling at the butcher's in Fetter Lane to order his meat.


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