"All right," said Burton, "we'll talk about something else, and you shall have first choice of a topic, Tuck."
"One moment before we begin," exclaimed Reed, "I must ask, where is Smithfield?"
Crane turned to him.
"Smithfield," he said, "in common with my two guests, the housemaid Lily and the boy Brindlebury, have all left, or been ejected from my house within the last twenty-four hours."
"You mean," gasped Reed, "that you and Mr. Tucker and the cook are alone in the house!"
"I regret to say that Mr. Tucker also leaves me this evening."
"But—but—" began Reed, in a protest too earnest to find words on the instant.
"We won't discuss the matter now," said Crane. "I have several things to talk over with you, Mr. Reed, after dinner. In the meantime," he added, looking around on the dreary faces of all but Lefferts, "let us enjoy ourselves."
"Certainly, by all means," agreed Reed, "but I would just like to ask you, Mr. Crane—You can't mean, you don't intend, you don't contemplate—"
"Oh, I won't trouble you with my immediate plans," said Crane, and added, turning to Lefferts, "my experience is that no one is really interested in any one else's plans—their daily routine, I mean, and small domestic complications."