the truth is I came at very short notice. I didn't know till a
week before that my brother-in-law--He is not listening. He has moved
away. I will stand and wait till he comes back. I am intruding here; I
had no right to disturb these people like this.

Oh, I can have a room at eleven o'clock. When it is which?--is vacated.
Oh, yes, I see, when the man in it gets up and goes away. I didn't for
the minute catch on to what the word--He has stopped listening.

Never mind, I can wait. From eight to eleven is only three hours,
anyway. I will move about here and look at things. If I keep moving they
will notice me less. Ha! books and news papers and magazines--what a
stack of them! Like a regular book-store. I will stand here and take
a look at some of them. Eh! what's that? Did I want to _buy_ anything?
Well, no, I hadn't exactly--I was just--Oh, I see, they're on _sale_.
All right, yes, give me this one--fifty cents--all right--and this and
these others. That's all right, miss, I'm not stingy. They always say of
me up in our town that when I--She has stopped listening.

Never mind. I will walk up and down again with the magazines under my
arm. That will make people think I live here. Better still if I could
put the magazines in my satchel. But how? There is no way to set it down
and undo the straps. I wonder if I could dare put it for a minute on
that table, the polished one--? Or no, they wouldn't likely allow a man
to put a bag _there_.

Well, I can wait. Anyway, it's eight o'clock and soon, surely, breakfast
will be ready. As soon as I hear the gong I can go in there. I wonder
if I could find out first where the dining-room is. It used always to
be marked across the door, but I don't seem to see it. Darn it, I'll ask
that man in uniform. If I'm here prepared to spend my good money to get
breakfast I guess I'm not scared to ask a simple question of a man in
uniform. Or no, I'll not ask _him_. I'll try this one--or no, he's busy.
I'll ask this other boy. Say, would you mind, if you please, telling me,
please, which way the dining-room--Eh, what? Do I want which? The grill
room or the palm room? Why, I tell you, young man, I just wanted to
get some breakfast if it's--what? Do I want what? I didn't quite get
that--_a la carte_? No, thanks--and, what's that? table de what? in the
palm room? No, I just wanted--but it doesn't matter. I'll wait 'round
here and look about till I hear the gong. Don't worry about me.

What's tha