登陆注册
5447800000008

第8章 Chapter Three(2)

Jules himself served the liquids, and at ten o'clock he brought another note. Entreating a thousand pardons, Reginald Dimmock, after he had glanced at the note, excused himself on the plea of urgent business for his Serene master, uncle of the Grand Duke of Posen. He asked if he might fetch Mr Racksole, or escort Miss Racksole to her father. But Miss Racksole said gaily that she felt no need of an escort, and should go to bed. She added that her father and herself always endeavoured to be independent of each other.

Just then Theodore Racksole had found his way once more into Mr Babylon's private room. Before arriving there, however, he had discovered that in some mysterious manner the news of the change of proprietorship had worked its way down to the lowest strata of the hotel's cosmos. The corridors hummed with it, and even under-servants were to be seen discussing the thing, just as though it mattered to them.

'Have a cigar, Mr Racksole,' said the urbane Mr Babylon, 'and a mouthful of the oldest cognac in all Europe.'

In a few minutes these two were talking eagerly, rapidly. Felix Babylon was astonished at Racksole's capacity for absorbing the details of hotel management. And as for Racksole he soon realized that Felix Babylon must be a prince of hotel managers. It had never occurred to Racksole before that to manage an hotel, even a large hotel, could be a specially interesting affair, or that it could make any excessive demands upon the brains of the manager; but he came to see that he had underrated the possibilities of an hotel.

The business of the Grand Babylon was enormous. It took Racksole, with all his genius for organization, exactly half an hour to master the details of the hotel laundry-work. And the laundry-work was but one branch of activity amid scores, and not a very large one at that. The machinery of checking supplies, and of establishing a mean ratio between the raw stuff received in the kitchen and the number of meals served in the salle à manger and the private rooms, was very complicated and delicate. When Racksole had grasped it, he at once suggested some improvements, and this led to a long theoretical discussion, and the discussion led to digressions, and then Felix Babylon, in a moment of absent-mindedness, yawned.

Racksole looked at the gilt clock on the high mantelpiece.

'Great Scott!' he said. 'It's three o'clock. Mr Babylon, accept my apologies for having kept you up to such an absurd hour.'

'I have not spent so pleasant an evening for many years. You have let me ride my hobby to my heart's content. It is I who should apologize.'

Racksole rose.

'I should like to ask you one question,' said Babylon. 'Have you ever had anything to do with hotels before?'

'Never,' said Racksole.

'Then you have missed your vocation. You could have been the greatest of all hotel-managers. You would have been greater than me, and I am unequalled, though I keep only one hotel, and some men have half a dozen. Mr Racksole, why have you never run an hotel?'

'Heaven knows,' he laughed, 'but you flatter me, Mr Babylon.'

'I? Flatter? You do not know me. I flatter no one, except, perhaps, now and then an exceptionally distinguished guest. In which case Igive suitable instructions as to the bill.'

'Speaking of distinguished guests, I am told that a couple of German princes are coming here to-morrow.'

'That is so.'

'Does one do anything? Does one receive them formally - stand bowing in the entrance-hall, or anything of that sort?'

'Not necessarily. Not unless one wishes. The modern hotel proprietor is not like an innkeeper of the Middle Ages, and even princes do not expect to see him unless something should happen to go wrong. As a matter of fact, though the Grand Duke of Posen and Prince Aribert have both honoured me by staying here before, I have never even set eyes on them. You will find all arrangements have been made.'

They talked a little longer, and then Racksole said good night. 'Let me see you to your room. The lifts will be closed and the place will be deserted.

As for myself, I sleep here,' and Mr Babylon pointed to an inner door.

'No, thanks,' said Racksole; 'let me explore my own hotel unaccompanied. I believe I can discover my room.' When he got fairly into the passages, Racksole was not so sure that he could discover his own room. The number was 107, but he had forgotten whether it was on the first or second floor.

Travelling in a lift, one is unconscious of floors. He passed several lift-doorways, but he could see no glint of a staircase; in all self-respecting hotels staircases have gone out of fashion, and though hotel architects still continue, for old sakes' sake, to build staircases, they are tucked away in remote corners where their presence is not likely to offend the eye of a spoiled and cosmopolitan public. The hotel seemed vast, uncanny, deserted.

An electric light glowed here and there at long intervals. On the thick carpets, Racksole's thinly-shod feet made no sound, and he wandered at ease to and fro, rather amused, rather struck by the peculiar senses of night and mystery which had suddenly come over him. He fancied he could hear a thousand snores peacefully descending from the upper realms. At length he found a staircase, a very dark and narrow one, and presently he was on the first floor.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 空塔

    空塔

    李羽格,身边朋友都叫她格,格一直失眠,从15岁就开始了,格说,失眠的感觉像是在周而复始的自杀,总有一天,自己会死于安眠药。格在他人的讶异下考上了锦城最好的高中,锦中,神话一样的高中。很多人都说,像李羽格这样经常逃课打架跟混混一样的人,怎么可能以全校第一名的高分考上锦中,格对别人的嘲讽和讥笑不屑一顾。格进校的第一天,就彻底的出名了。
  • 南山剑

    南山剑

    一本书,一把剑,一半为传承,一半是人生……
  • 光谷街47号

    光谷街47号

    光谷街47号地处繁华街道是一家咖啡馆没有名字常客们也就索性叫它光谷街47号了老板是个行事雷厉的女生他们都猜不出她的年龄也不知道她叫什么名字
  • 追妻无门:女boss不好惹

    追妻无门:女boss不好惹

    青涩蜕变,如今她是能独当一面的女boss,爱了冷泽聿七年,也同样花了七年时间去忘记他。以为是陌路,他突然向他表白,扬言要娶她,她只当他是脑子抽风,他的殷勤她也全都无视。他帮她查她父母的死因,赶走身边情敌,解释当初拒绝她的告别,和故意对她冷漠都是无奈之举。突然爆出她父母的死居然和冷家有丝毫联系,还莫名跳出个公爵未婚夫,扬言要与她履行婚约。峰回路转,破镜还能重圆吗? PS:我又开新文了,每逢假期必书荒,新文《有你的世界遇到爱》,喜欢我的文的朋友可以来看看,这是重生类现言,对这个题材感兴趣的一定要收藏起来。
  • 重生之恶毒女配的自我修养

    重生之恶毒女配的自我修养

    楚玥前十几年活的就像玛丽苏文中的女主角,出身豪门,成绩优越,容貌迤逦。这一切在她惹到一个叫林若溪的女孩后,都变了样。引以为豪的家世被林若溪的追求者们联手搞破产;优越的成绩也在一系列打击中一落千丈;她那张脸,最后也被林若溪一刀一刀划烂。她所拥有的一切,都没了。直到她死后,才知道,原来她只是一本书里的恶毒女配,而女主就是林若溪。重来一世,楚玥决定报复他们,让他们也体验一下所有东西都被夺走的感觉,让他们知道恶毒女配还能更恶毒一点。
  • 做人与修身知识(全集)

    做人与修身知识(全集)

    犹太家庭的孩子,成长过程中几乎都要回答这样一个问题:“假如有一天你的房子被烧毁,你将带着什么东西逃跑呢?”如果孩子回答是钱或钻石,母亲将进一步:“有一种没有性质、没有色、没有气味的宝贝,你知道是什么吗?”要是孩子答不出来,母亲就会说:“孩子,你要带走的不是钱,也不是钻石,而是智慧。智慧是任何人都抢不走的。” 做是种智慧,修身是智慧的升华。本书从做人和修身两方面帮大家不断完善自己,成为一个在道德上完美、做人上成功的人。
  • 骄阳恋皎月

    骄阳恋皎月

    十年前,他们的爱情走到了山穷水尽,他却浑然未觉,一句轻飘飘的“不适合”就让他痛失所爱。十年后,当命运的齿轮再次转动,他们能否还有为对方披荆斩棘的勇气,寻到彼此的柳暗花明……姊妹篇《唐少今天又被虐了》已完结!
  • 宠婚:爱妻至上

    宠婚:爱妻至上

    【表面闷骚之极,冷漠至极,实际上腹黑男。】【表面闷骚的女人,被男人的手法一勾搭那就是入得卧房的好媳妇】【黑道,白道,乡村,商场,无所不有。】【片段一】“老婆,又站起来了。”伸手指指下面,男人俊美无措的脸上不带任何表情的看着自己帅气的老婆。“自己解决。”羞红了双颊,女人没想到自己的老公竟然当着满屋子的人面前说这样的话,丢死人了。“呃……”男人一愣,随即笑开了,真不愧是他的老婆,一把拽起老婆回屋,留下一屋子满脸错愕的人和不远处站着的刚满周岁的儿子……【片段二】“你不能满足他,你只是一个会喊口令以外,什么都不会干的女人。”炮灰女指着她的鼻尖骂道,做饭不会,收拾房间不会,她就是个废物。“稍息,立正,站好,围着操场三十圈,跑不完不准休息。”她不是个公报私仇的人,但是奈何那人到了自己的地盘挑衅那就对不起了。在这里没人敢反她,因为,她是老大。【片段三】她的痴迷者越来越多,她的男人的脸色越变越黑。无论男女老少,见面都会,英姿我爱你。“我会让你人气直线下降的。”女配的眼里盘着算计。翌日。某个女人被小道报道,跟某某人纠缠在一酒店内。女人红颜祸水,惹得锦上人间的总裁不务正业,一直沉溺在她的美色中。“沉溺在我老婆的温柔乡中,应该说得过去吧。”男人出面,将谣言一一击碎。女配被打的亲爹亲妈都不认识。
  • 二区到六区

    二区到六区

    吴君,女,中国作协会员。曾获首届中国小说双年奖、广东新人新作奖。长篇小说《我们不是一个人类》被媒体评为2004年最值得记忆五部长篇之一。出版多本中篇小说集。根据其中篇小说《亲爱的深圳》改编的电影已在国内及北美地区发行放映。
  • 送陈判官罢举赴江外

    送陈判官罢举赴江外

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。