"Nor I either, Susan," said Frank, laughing. "I am a poor boy, and I am not used to this way of living; so if you'll be kind enough to give me any hints, so I may behave properly at the table, I'll be very much obliged to you."
This frank acknowledgment quite appeased Susan, and she readily complied with our hero's request.
"But I must be going downstairs, or dinner will be late," she said, hurriedly. "You can come down when you hear the bell ring."
Frank had been well brought up, though not in the city, and he was aware that perfect neatness was one of the first characteristics of a gentleman. He therefore scrubbed his face and hands till they fairly shone, and brushed his clothes with great care. Even then they certainly did look rather shabby, and there was a small hole in the elbow of his coat; but, on the whole, he looked quite passable when he entered the dining-room.
"Take that seat, my boy," said his host.
Frank sat down and tried to look as if he was used to it.
"Take this soup to Mr. Kavanagh," said Mr. Bowen, in a dignified tone.
Frank started and smiled slightly, feeling more and more that it was an excellent joke.
"I wonder what Dick Rafferty would say if he could see me now," passed through his mind.
He acquitted himself very creditably, however, and certainly displayed an excellent appetite, much to the satisfaction of his hospitable host.