The Small House at Allington

In which Mr. Eames returns to London to face the consequences of affairs at Mrs. Roper's lodging-house and receives a letter from his friend Cradell, whose own fortunes have become entangled in a rather complicated domestic and financial situation. After parting with the Roper family under somewhat strained circumstances, Eames contemplates his solitary existence and the beginning of a more adult phase of his life amidst the indifferent bustle of the city.