Number Three, Winifred Place

"Number Three, Winifred Place" by Agnes Giberne is a novel written in the late 19th century. Set in a London lodging house, it follows a young widow, Mrs. Mordaunt, and her precociously devout daughter Rhona as they seek safety, work, and dignity amid poverty and social strain. Around them move a sharp-tongued landlady, her gentle niece Bertha, a kind but shy clergyman, and a brusque, solitary Colonel whose interest is piqued by the child and her mother. The story blends domestic realism and moral feeling, circling themes of faith, loneliness, class expectations, and the threat of intrusive relatives. The opening of the book introduces Mrs. Burrell’s wool-and-fancywork shop at Number Three and her household—complaining yet “respectable” Mrs. Burrell, her careless daughter Hope, and the overworked, tender-hearted niece Bertha. Into this dreary November scene comes Mrs. Mordaunt, in deep mourning, urgently seeking a single back bedroom for herself and eight-year-old Rhona, a change prompted by fear of her late husband’s aunts. A prior visit to the parish clergyman, Mr. Powis, reveals her isolation, resolve to support herself by teaching, and wish to remain hidden. Rhona’s gentle wisdom quickly bonds her to Bertha; soon after, the exacting Colonel Smyth takes the front rooms, overhears Mrs. Mordaunt’s hymn, and later (after a cold and a few distant nods) offers the lonely child kindness—and grapes. With Mr. Powis’ help, Mrs. Mordaunt secures a daily-governess post, but the strain and London fog weigh on her; one dense evening she fails to return home, having dropped her purse before leaving, and the section closes with Rhona waiting, while the Colonel and Bertha try to steady her and decide what can be done.

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