
In a cramped London lodging house off Tottenham Court Road, three disparate young men carve out a makeshift world of ambition and art. Bartlett Bayre, a tidy‑looking clerk with literary dreams, shares the second floor with Ted Southerley, a broad‑shouldered journalist struggling for a stable byline, and Jan—who prefers the mysterious initials “J”—a painter living on a modest allowance and convinced that his studio atmosphere trumps all practical concerns.
Their cramped quarters become a stage for daily rituals: rearranged furniture, borrowed brocade, and impromptu tea parties that turn the shabby sitting‑room into a faux‑gallery. As each man pursues his own version of success, their clashing temperaments and shared camaraderie reveal the quirky “mis‑rule of three” that governs their lives. Listeners will be drawn into the humor, tension, and hopeful aspirations that ripple through the dust‑laden rooms of No. 46.
Language
en
Duration
~6 hours (393K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Original publisher
London: T. Fisher Unwin, 1904.
Credits
an anonymous Project Gutenberg volunteer
Release date
2024-01-09
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1857–1929
A prolific Victorian novelist with a flair for mystery, romance, and sensation, she wrote popular fiction that kept late-19th-century readers turning pages. Her books often mix suspense with lively social detail, making them an inviting doorway into the world of popular British storytelling.
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