The person who, next to the actors themselves, chanced to know most of their story, lived just below ‘Top o’ Town’ (as the spot was called) in an old substantially-built house, distinguished¹ among its neighbours by having an oriel window on the first floor, whence could be obtained a raking view of the High Street, west and east, the former including Laura’s dwelling², the end of the Town Avenue hard by (in which were played the odd pranks³ hereafter to be mentioned), the Port-Bredy road rising westwards, and the turning that led to the cavalry⁴ barracks where the Captain was quartered.  Looking eastward⁵ down the town from the same favoured gazebo, the long perspective of houses declined and dwindled⁶ till they merged⁷ in the highway across the moor⁸.  The white riband of road disappeared over Grey’s Bridge a quarter of a mile off, to plunge⁹ into innumerable rustic¹⁰ windings¹¹, shy shades, and solitary¹² undulations up hill and down dale for one hundred and twenty miles till it exhibited itself at Hyde Park Corner as a smooth bland¹³ surface in touch with a busy and fashionable world.