Through the Eye of the Needle: A Romance Read online

  V

  Comfort is the American ideal, in a certain way, and comfort is certainlywhat is studied in such an apartment as the Makelys inhabit. We got totalking about it, and the ease of life in such conditions, and it wasthen she made me that offer to show me her flat, and let me report to theAltrurians concerning it. She is all impulse, and she asked, How would Ilike to see it _now?_ and when I said I should be delighted, shespoke to her husband, and told him that she was going to show me throughthe flat. He roused himself promptly, and went before us, at her bidding,to turn up the electrics in the passages and rooms, and then she led theway out through the dining-room.

  "This and the parlors count three, and the kitchen here is the fourthroom of the eight," she said, and as she spoke she pushed open the doorof a small room, blazing with light and dense with the fumes of thedinner and the dish-washing which was now going on in a closet openingout of the kitchen.

  She showed me the set range, at one side, and the refrigerator in analcove, which she said went with the flat, and, "Lena," she said to thecook, "this is the Altrurian gentleman I was telling you about, and Iwant him to see your kitchen. Can I take him into your room?"

  The cook said, "Oh yes, ma'am," and she gave me a good stare, while Mrs.Makely went to the kitchen window and made me observe that it let in theoutside air, though the court that it opened into was so dark that onehad to keep the electrics going in the kitchen night and day. "Of course,it's an expense," she said, as she closed the kitchen door after us. Sheadded, in a low, rapid tone, "You must excuse my introducing the cook.She has read all about you in the papers--you didn't know, I suppose,that there were reporters that day of your delightful talk in themountains, but I had them--and she was wild, when she heard you werecoming, and made me promise to let her have a sight of you somehow. Shesays she wants to go and live in Altruria, and if you would like to takehome a cook, or a servant of any kind, you wouldn't have much trouble.Now here," she ran on, without a moment's pause, while she flung openanother door, "is what you won't find in every apartment-house, even verygood ones, and that's a back elevator. Sometimes there are only stairs,and they make the poor things climb the whole way up from the basement,when they come in, and all your marketing has to be brought up that way,too; sometimes they send it up on a kind of dumb-waiter, in the cheapplaces, and you give your orders to the market-men down below through aspeaking-tube. But here we have none of that bother, and this elevator isfor the kitchen and housekeeping part of the flat. The grocer's and thebutcher's man, and anybody who has packages for you, or trunks, or thatsort of thing, use it, and, of course, it's for the servants, and theyappreciate not having to walk up as much as anybody."

  "Oh yes," I said, and she shut the elevator door and opened another alittle beyond it.

  "This is our guest chamber," she continued, as she ushered me into a verypretty room, charmingly furnished. "It isn't very light by day, for itopens on a court, like the kitchen and the servants' room here," and withthat she whipped out of the guest chamber and into another doorway acrossthe corridor. This room was very much narrower, but there were two smallbeds in it, very neat and clean, with some furnishings that were inkeeping, and a good carpet under foot. Mrs. Makely was clearly proud ofit, and expected me to applaud it; but I waited for her to speak, whichupon the whole she probably liked as well.

  "I only keep two servants, because in a flat there isn't really room formore, and I put out the wash and get in cleaning-women when it's needed.I like to use my servants well, because it pays, and I hate to seeanybody imposed upon. Some people put in a double-decker, as they callit--a bedstead with two tiers, like the berths on a ship; but I thinkthat's a shame, and I give them two regular beds, even if it does crowdthem a little more and the beds have to be rather narrow. This room hasoutside air, from the court, and, though it's always dark, it's verypleasant, as you see." I did not say that I did not see, and thissufficed Mrs. Makely.

  "Now," she said, "I'll show you _our_ rooms," and she flew down thecorridor towards two doors that stood open side by side and flashed intothem before me. Her husband was already in the first she entered, smilingin supreme content with his wife, his belongings, and himself.

  "This is a southern exposure, and it has a perfect gush of sun frommorning till night. Some of the flats have the kitchen at the end, andthat's stupid; you can have a kitchen in any sort of hole, for you cankeep on the electrics, and with them the air is perfectly good. As soonas I saw these chambers, and found out that they would let you keep adog, I told Mr. Makely to sign the lease instantly, and I would see tothe rest."

  She looked at me, and I praised the room and its dainty tastefulness toher heart's content, so that she said: "Well, it's some satisfaction toshow you anything, Mr. Homos, you are so appreciative. I'm sure you'llgive a good account of us to the Altrurians. Well, now we'll go back tothe pa--drawing-room. This is the end of the story."

  "Well," said her husband, with a wink at me, "I thought it was to becontinued in our next," and he nodded towards the door that opened fromhis wife's bower into the room adjoining.

  "Why, you poor old fellow!" she shouted. "I forgot all about _your_room," and she dashed into it before us and began to show it off. It wasequipped with every bachelor luxury, and with every appliance for healthand comfort. "And here," she said, "he can smoke, or anything, as long ashe keeps the door shut. Oh, good gracious! I forgot the bath-room," andthey both united in showing me this, with its tiled floor and walls andits porcelain tub; and then Mrs. Makely flew up the corridor before us."Put out the electrics, Dick!" she called back over her shoulder.