SUMMER HEAT 181 



worn on Sundays and holidays. Going on to the 

 open front door I knocked, and after a time my 

 summons was answered by the landlady, a person 

 of a t3^e to be met with occasionally not in Sussex 

 only but all over the country, the very sight of 

 which causes the heart to sink ; a large, heavy -bodied, 

 slow-minded, and slow-moving middle-aged woman, 

 without a gleam of intelligence or sympathy in her 

 big expressionless face; a sort of rough-hewn pre- 

 adamite lump of humanity, or gigantic land -tortoise 

 in petticoats. When questioned, she said No, she 

 could not take me in. Yes, she took lodgers and 

 had a party now ; they were going, but then another 

 party had engaged to come. She never took but 

 one party at a time — that was her way. Cross- 

 questioned, she said that it didn't matter whether 

 it was a single man who was out every day and all 

 day long or a family of a dozen, so long as it was 

 one party. She laid herself out to do for one party 

 at a time, and had never taken more and couldn't 

 think of taking two — it upset her. 



Very well, that point was decided against me ; 

 it was now time to say that I had been out walking 

 in the sun for over six hours and was hungry and 

 thirsty and tired — could she give me something to 

 eat while I rested ? No, she could not ; it was hard 

 to get anything in such an out-of-the-way place, 

 and the provisions in the house were no more than 

 were needed. Oh, never mind, I returned, some bread 



