to state that "John Ingerfield," "The Woman of the Saeter," and
"Silhouettes," are not intended to be amusing. The two other items--
"Variety Patter," and "The Lease of the Cross Keys"--I give over to
the critics of the new humour to rend as they will; but "John
Ingerfield," "The Woman of the Saeter," and "Silhouettes," I repeat,
I should be glad if they would judge from some other standpoint than
that of humour, new or old.


IN REMEMBRANCE OF JOHN INGERFIELD AND OF ANNE, HIS WIFE
A STORY OF OLD LONDON, IN TWO CHAPTERS



CHAPTER I.



If you take the Underground Railway to Whitechapel Road (the East
station), and from there take one of the yellow tramcars that start
from that point, and go down the Commercial Road, past the George, in
front of which starts--or used to stand--a high flagstaff, at the
base of which sits--or used to sit--an elderly female purveyor of
pigs' trotters at three-ha'pence apiece, until you come to where a
railway arch crosses the road obliquely, and there get down and turn
to the right up a narrow, noisy street leading to the river, and then
to the right again up a still narrower street, which you may know by
its having a public-house at one corner (as is in the nature of
things) and a marine store-dealer's at the other, outside which
strangely stiff and unaccommodating garments of gigantic size flutter