the hot plates were hot before he rapped on the door. A voice,
loud and cheery, bade him enter.
Would the gentleman wish his breakfast served in the parlor or
--No, the gentleman would have it right in his bedroom; but first,
where were his cigarettes? He hoped above all things that the
waiter had not forgotten his cigarettes. Some people began their
days with cold showers--nothing less than a cruel shock to a
languid nervous system. An atrocious practice, the speaker called
it--a relic of barbarism--a fetish of ignorance. Much preferable
was a hygienic, stimulating cigarette which served the same
purpose and left no deleterious aftereffects.
The pajama-clad guest struck a light, inhaled with abundant
satisfaction, and then cast a hungry eye over the contents of the
rubber-tired breakfast table. He, too, tested the temperature of the
melon and felt the cover of the toast plate.
"Splendid!" he cried. "Nice rooms, prompt service, a pleasant-faced
waiter. Why, I couldn't fare better in my best club. Thanks to you,