29. From sirensbane: A neighbour's perspective
Edward Littel's mother much disliked living next to 221 Baker Street. She liked the landlady just fine- they even had tea, sometimes- but she had fits about her tenants.
"Ugh, the smell from those windows!"
"Oh, Pierre, did you just hear gunshots?"
"The characters coming in and out of there, truly. I wonder what on earth they're up to."
"Oh goodness, look at those little street Arabs running in like they own the place!"
"Violin this time of night?!"
"Don't they know we have a little boy? The nerve."
For his part, Eddie loved living next to 221. Dr. Watson was like to give you a candy if he had one, Mr. Holmes was always dashing off somewhere interesting and was fun to watch, and he didn't mind the noise and smells. It was certainly more interesting than the neighbors on the other side, who were old and grumpy, and more interesting than the arithmetic and reading and printing his mother taught them. He liked to play jacks and marbles with the boys that hung around 221 and listen to their stories. Mr. Holmes hired them to help with their cases. He thought they might sometimes be exaggerating (they seemed to tackle a lot of criminals), but goodness, if they didn't get to have more fun! Eddie had tried to sneak off with them, but his mother always seemed to call at the wrong time. One day, he vowed, he'd go inside and learn more. But he might have to wait until he was a grown-up so he could tell his mother that he was big and could make his own decisions. A boy could dream.