Amos Judd

Amos Judd was the carpenter hired to put up the bells in the passage-way between Stephen Black's quarters and the kitchen of the house at 9 Harley-street such that Sir Walter or the Lady Pole might easily call a servant to whatever room of the house they were needed in. For this work, which involved the placement of a bell for each of the important rooms of the house, as well as labeling each with brown paint, Judd was paid 4 shillings [16].*

It later transpired that instead of the needed nine bells, there were in fact ten, with the last labeled Lost-hope.^† Upon discovering this, Stephen Black supposed that Judd had played a trick on him, and resolved to take up the matter with Judd the next day. However, at the moment he thought this, the strange bell was urgently ringing, and Stephen was impelled to find its origin [16].

Notes

*. It is likely that Judd's work consisted only of placing the bells and painting their locations beneath each, as the payment mentioned was only about a day's wage for a skilled carpenter at the time.

†. The other nine bells were correctly labeled for each room to which a servant's attendance might be needed: The Venetian Drawing-room; The Yellow Drawing-room; The Dining-room; Lady Pole's Sitting-room; Lady Pole's Bed-chamber; Lady Pole's Dressing-room; Sir Walter's Study; Sir Walter's Bed-chamber; and Sir Walter's Dressing-room.