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He paused a moment, and then he continued hardily, "And he'd been telling me about Barker. He's turned up again." "Of course!" said Mrs. Sewell. "What's happened to him now?" "Nothing, apparently, but some repeated strokes of prosperity. He has become clerk, elevator-boy, and head-waiter at the St. Albans." "And what are you going to do about him?" "Evans advises me to do nothing."
On entering he was wont to say, "Hello, Gus," with careless cordiality to the head-waiter, the while his eye roved expertly from table to table as he removed his gloves. He ordered things under glass, so that his table, at midnight or thereabouts, resembled a hot-bed that favors the bell system. The waiters fought for him. He was the kind of man who mixes his own salad dressing.
I go into the Carlton; the head-waiter whispers; a waiter brings a basket of bread; I eat it all. I go into Boisin's, or Henry's; the head-waiter whispers; it is a basket of bread; while I eat a few eggs, a chicken, a salad, a tart or two, some fruit, cheese, the bread is all gone. I am the tomb of all the bread in the world. So I get fat. There, he concluded gravely, 'it is as I tell you.
War broke out, and Alexandre, the all-accomplished head-waiter, dropped his napkin, shouldered his gun, and marched away, leaving the Hôtel des Bains desolate. Being pretty thoroughly baked, and very weary of the little town, our trio departed to Vevey, and settled down in the best pension that ever received the weary traveller.
A wandering head-waiter thought they were fixed on him and sidled up hopeful of favours, but Neergard suddenly snarled in his face and moved toward the door, wiping the perspiration from his nose with the most splendid handkerchief ever displayed east of Sixth Avenue and west of Third. Mrs.
This being clear at last, the newcomer said: "Oh, very well! Then just give my order to the head-waiter, will you there's a good chap a cup of consommé, a bit of fish, a bird of some sort, broiled, I fancy, er potatoes au gratin, a green salad of some kind, serve that with the bird, a piece of Camembert, if it's in good condition, any entremet you have and a demi-tasse.
The place was now shut against guests, and the head-waiter was having it put in order for the one o'clock dinner. As they came near him, Mrs. Atwell introduced him to Clementina, and he behaved deferentially, as if she were some young lady visitor whom Mrs.
Polozov dropped into an arm-chair, groaned, 'Oh, the heat! and loosened his cravat. Then he rang up the head-waiter, and ordered with intense care a very lavish luncheon. 'And at one, the carriage is to be ready! Do you hear, at one o'clock sharp! The head-waiter obsequiously bowed, and cringingly withdrew. Polozov unbuttoned his waistcoat.
After he had left us with a somewhat stiff bow, he went and talked earnestly with Karl, the little head-waiter. Then he slowly returned. "Mr. Mayer," he said, "I'm going to make you a very rash offer. I will give you L200 profit on your bargain." "I am not inclined to sell," Guest said. "One hundred, or two hundred, or five hundred won't tempt me now that my mind is made up."
He was great friends with the head-waiter, whom he respected as a college student, though for the time being he ranked the student socially. He had him in behind the frame of letter-boxes, which formed a sort of little private room for him, and talked with him at such hours of the forenoon and the late evening as the student was off duty.
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