"And for another," Anthony said gravely, "no women!"
"Eh?" said David.
"Absolutely no women in this Hotel Lasande!" Anthony repeated, with a fanatic force that caused Johnson Boller to snort disgustedly and throw up his hands. "This is, perhaps, more strictly than any other house in New York an all-man establishment. There are not even women servants here, David, and other sorts of women don't run in and out of here. In fact, the ladies who do come—relatives of the tenants, of course—are so very few that they're all known to the clerks. So, while you may have a sweetheart, David, and while she may be all very well in her place—keep her out of here!"
"But——"
"That's the unwritten law of the house, and it makes for profound peace," Anthony concluded. "You'll appreciate it more fully when you have lived here for a time."
David, facing Mr. Fry, gazed at the floor and yawned again.
"I guess I'll go to bed," he said weakly.
"And before that we'll start you on the right track," Anthony said with a gentle smile. "You'll take a good, hot bath."
He pressed the button and Wilkins appeared.
"The guest-chamber for young Mr. Prentiss, Wilkins," said Anthony. "You will outfit him with pajamas of my own and the gray bathrobe I used last year. To-morrow we'll get you something that fits, David."