"Zere have been a leetle mistake," he continued, with an amused smile I made no effort to share.
"It's more than kind of you," I said, gratefully, "to come and wake me up at four in the morning to explain it."
He bowed modestly. Personal convenience, he assured me earnestly, was as nothing to an act of courtesy.
Then he explained. It appeared that the previous occupier of my room had been a German, who had intended to take his departure at three o'clock that morning. At the last moment, however, he had changed his mind, and had left at 11 p.m. Unfortunately, the porter, whom he had desired to instruct the boots to awaken him, had forgotten to cancel the order.
"Und he had sayed he vos a ver' heafy sleeper!" he wound up. "So you see, it vos a mutual misunderstanding. Nicht was?"
"This," I said, "makes everything satisfactory. Now, if you don't mind, I should like to go to sleep. I have to catch a train at ten. Perhaps you will see that I am not awakened before nine?"
When he had impressed this on the penitent boots, we parted, with mutual expressions of regard.
The boots—no doubt in a well-meant desire to make up for his earlier mistake—this time forbore to awaken me at all. I accordingly awoke at midday, in plenty of time for my next train, which left twenty-two hours later.
THE HORROR IN THE PIT.
By E. F. Martin, late of the Royal Niger Company's Service.