There  is,  in  the  wider  road  leading  away  from  the  green,
a  series  of  quite  large  shops,  and  these  large  shops  are
the  ones  at  which  the  real  Beckwithians  deal.  No  real
Beckwithian  has  anything  sent  from  the  Stores,  for  the
real  Beckwithian  preserves  his  ancient  motto  of  noblesse
oblige.  So  while  there  is  a  little  old  chemist's  shop,  and
the  post-office,  and  a  butcher's,  and  a  baker's,  overlook-


14  SHOPS  AND  HOUSES

ing  the  common,  Peel's,  the  big  grocer's  shop,  is  in  the
High  Street,  and  so  is  the  jeweller's,  and  the  oilman's,
and  the  bookseller's  and  stationer's.  They  are  large
shops,  well-stocked,  modern;  their  prices  are  carefully
measured,  and  their  prosperity  seems  to  be  all  that  can
be  desired.
Out  of  the  High  Street  are  roads  of  medium-sized
houses,  rather  new,  with  gravelled  paths  and  lawns  and
geraniums  in  front  of  them.  These  are  inhabited  by  the
second-class  people  of  Beckwith.  They  are  red  houses
with  slate  roofs,  and  the  points  of  the  roofs  are  decorated
with  little  red  tiles  like  cockscombs.  The  best  houses  are
round  the  common,  including  some  of  the  smallest,  which
contain,  in  a  few  cases,  only  seven  or  eight  rooms;  but
there  are  one  or  two  at  a  distance  from  the  common,  and
Miss  Lampe  even  lives  quite  near  the  railway-station,  so
that  she  knows  altogether  by  heart  what  trains  are  caught
by  what  residents  in  the  town.  This  situation  is  very
fortunate  for  Miss  Lampe,  who  passionately  cares  for
such  facts  and  is  dependent  upon  them  for  her  casual
conversation.
