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It was unfortunate that Miriam never took to the house from the first.
She did not like it when she saw it, and liked it less as she explored
it. "There's too many stairs," she said, "and the coal being indoors
will make a lot of work."
"
"
"
Didn't think of that," said Mr. Polly, following her round.
It'll be a hard house to keep clean," said Miriam.
White paint's all very well in its way," said Miriam, "but it shows
the dirt something fearful. Better 'ave 'ad it nicely grained."
"There's a kind of place here," said Mr. Polly, "where we might have
some flowers in pots."
"Not me," said Miriam. "I've 'ad trouble enough with Minnie and 'er
musk...."
They stayed for a week in a cheap boarding house before they moved in.
They had bought some furniture in Stamton, mostly second-hand, but
with new cheap cutlery and china and linen, and they had supplemented
this from the Fishbourne shops. Miriam, relieved from the hilarious
associations of home, developed a meagre and serious quality of her
own, and went about with knitted brows pursuing some ideal of "'aving
everything right." Mr. Polly gave himself to the arrangement of the
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