gothhabiba:

“Well, a gentleman, a man of very good position, was found dead, stark dead, in the area of a certain house in Paul Street, off Tottenham Court Road. Of course the police did not make the discovery; if you happen to be sitting up all night and have a light in your window, the constable will ring the bell, but if you happen to be lying dead in somebody’s area, you will be left alone.”

this is so interesting—I think the implication here is that you were liable to have the cops called on you for light pollution or something for having a lamp on in the window at night in London in the late 1800s? which sounds wild