“To be of course,” says he. “A hotel, do you not? Yes. For in which is meals and beds to sleep?”

“Almost,” says Mark, “but not quite. It’s what’s left of a hotel.”

“It is your hotel? You in personally are its keeper?”

“I guess it needs a keeper, all right,” says Mark, “but I ain’t it.”

“You take in individuals for boarding?”

“Nope.”

“Not? Oh, I was presenting myself as boarder. I wished rooming and eating.”

“You came to the wrong shop.”

“For reasonable money paid on Mondays would you not give me roomings and boardings?”

“Not even for money p-p-paid on Sundays,” says Mark.