travel books: MANY years ago, the River Tyne was spanned by an old wooden bridge which was balanced on stone pillars rising precariously out of the water. Now there stands a massive steel structure which because it swivels round on a centre pivot to allow big ships to go by, is called the Swing Bridge. So that if you walked down to the Quayside at Newcastle and crossed this bridge you would find yourself at the foot of an exceedingly steep and narrow street called " Bottle Bank," which curves away out of sight, to the right. Here, in one of these derelict houses of a by-gone age, Defoe wrote part of his most famous story-and, here again, history was once more being made ! About half-way up this steep incline there was a dirty brick building, whose front windows were all boarded up and covered with bills. On both sides of it the houses were untenanted ; and it is certain that no one would have ever credited this particular one with being inhabited. But such was the case ; and amazingly comfortable it was inside, at that. The only entrance lay up a filthy narrow alleyway. The door opened right off this on to a flight of creaky stairs. Had a stranger entered this dilapidated place he would have paused before he went any farther. It was a beastly place ! As a matter of fact, no stranger ever did get as far as this, for the simple reason that there was a very good way of keeping such people out. It was so very simple, that no one ever noticed it. books

Books > Old Books > The Devil's Apprentice

Page 90

CHAPTER IX - A WAX CYLINDER

MANY years ago, the River Tyne was spanned by an old wooden bridge which was balanced on stone pillars rising precariously out of the water. Now there stands a massive steel structure which because it swivels round on a centre pivot to allow big ships to go by, is called the Swing Bridge. So that if you walked down to the Quayside at Newcastle and crossed this bridge you would find yourself at the foot of an exceedingly steep and narrow street called " Bottle Bank," which curves away out of sight, to the right. Here, in one of these derelict houses of a by-gone age, Defoe wrote part of his most famous story-and, here again, history was once more being made ! About half-way up this steep incline there was a dirty brick building, whose front windows were all boarded up and covered with bills. On both sides of it the houses were untenanted ; and it is certain that no one would have ever credited this particular one with being inhabited. But such was the case ; and amazingly comfortable it was inside, at that. The only entrance lay up a filthy narrow alleyway. The door opened right off this on to a flight of creaky stairs. Had a stranger entered this dilapidated place he would have paused before he went any farther. It was a beastly place ! As a matter of fact, no stranger ever did get as far as this, for the simple reason that there was a very good way of keeping such people out. It was so very simple, that no one ever noticed it.