She had set down a
bloater before the fire for her husband's tea, and had made him a
round of toast. She then left the room as though about to return to it
shortly, but instead of doing so she went into the back kitchen and
hanged herself without a word. It was this which had kept the house
empty so long in spite of its excellent position as a corner shop. The
last tenant had left immediately after the inquest, and if the owner
had had it done up then people would have got over the tragedy that
had been enacted in it, but the combination of bad condition and bad
fame had hindered many from taking it, who, like Ellen, could see that
it had great business capabilities. Almost anything would have sold
there, but it happened also that there was no second-hand clothes shop
in close proximity, so that everything combined in its favour,
except its filthy state and its reputation.
When I saw it, I thought I would rather die than live in such an
awful place- but then I had been living in the Temple for the last
five-and-twenty years. Ernest was lodging in Laystall Street and had
just come out of prison; before this he had lived in Ashpit Place,
so that this house had no terrors for him provided he could get it
done up.
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