It was not by any means a charming house, having but few of those luxuries and elegancies which have been added of late years to newly-built London residences.

It was gloomy and inconvenient, with large drawing-rooms, bad bedrooms, and very little accommodation for servants.

But it was the old family town-house, having been inhabited by three or four generations of Longestaffes, and did not savour of that radical newness which prevails, and which was peculiarly distasteful to Mr Longestaffe.
Queen's Gate and the quarters around were, according to Mr Longestaffe, devoted to opulent tradesmen.

Even Belgrave Square, though its aristocratic properties must be admitted, still smelt of the mortar.

Many of those living there and thereabouts had never possessed in their families real family town-houses.