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Major reached home much troubled in his mind. For the first time in his life he really looked at the houses which stood so close to his own.

There were twelve houses in one streetseven on one side, five on the other. Twelve narrow houses, for there were no rooms in them, only two long flights of stairs in each house.

The Major had never been inside any house but his own. The children kept him so busy going up and down his own flights of stairs, that when he had any spare time he was glad to go right away from them.

Now he looked up and down the street curiously. He examined his own house carefully; then he compared it with Major G’s, the house next door. They were very much alike. Major G had more steps in front of his doors, and Major G had a door-platea door-plate with queer lines on it. Major C marched up the steps to look at the door-plate more closely, There were four lines on it, one pair crossing the other pair.

“Seems as if he wanted to play noughts and crosses all the time,” said Major C, as he went down the steps again. He looked at the house next door but one. Major D had a door-plate with more lines on it. Major C examined one house after the other. Every house had a door-plate, only his was without.

As he walked to his own house he seemed to hear Minora’s voice, “I wish we had a door-plate. Why haven’t we a door-plate?”

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