For instance, when I was in there the other day the bell rang violently, and a message, loud enough to be heard all over the office, and in a decidedly feminine voice, came over the wire.
"Send up two quarts of oysters at once."
"Sorry to say we haven't any just now," said the polite gentleman in the theatrical office; "but if they would do as well, we have a few fine lobsters we could let you have, madam."
Another order came for "crawfish" which were especially desired for dinner.
"Sorry," called the agent, "impossible to supply you with crawfish, but we can send you up a fine lot of assorted coryphees."
"Coryphees," said a dazed feminine voice, "I don't know what they are—I said crawfish."
"Sorry, but crawfish are no good in our business; but we can send up nice selected coryphees, all dressed—make any dinner go off well."
"You must be a fool," we heard over the wire, and no doubt the receiver was slammed into the holder while the lady hurried to get a dictionary to discover what manner of sea-food coryphees might be.
Perhaps she found that they might be called nymphs.