A. M. Williamson and C. N. Williamson

“ When the count had been made by us and envelopes neatly piled in stacks of twenty-four on a large desk hastily cleared for action, Terry sent his servant away. And then began the fun!
But we hadn't gone far when, between laughs, we felt the pricks of conscience. Alas for all these people who burned to possess our moated grange “practically free,” at its absurdly low rent! And the moated grange didn't exist. Not one of the unfortunate wretches would so much as get an answer.
They were not all nouveaux riches, by any means, these eager senders of letters and telegrams. ”

“ Not only telegrams, but letters with no stamps or postmarks! They must have been rushed frantically round to the six offices by messengers.
It was true, then, what the newspapers said: all London, all England, yearned, pined, prayed for houses. Yet people must already be living somewhere.
Literally, there were thousands of answers. To be precise, Terence Burns, Jones, and I counted two thousand and ten replies which had reached the six offices by noon on the first day of the advertisement, one thousand and eight telegrams, the rest letters dispatched by hand. ”

“ Some people were willing to take the house on its description, without waiting to see it. Others assured the advertiser that money was no object to them, he might ask what he liked; and these were the ones on whom we wasted no pity. ”