"What wouldst thou have?" said the deep tones of Eustace.
Alf took a deep breath and began to speak rapidly and nervously.
"Eustace," he said, "I want to say that I'm sure you always done yer best for me, an' I'm grateful for it. If you 'ave made some bloomers, why, we all make bloomers sometimes. An' it's me as 'ave made the biggest bloomer o' the lot."
"'Ere endeth the second lesson," said Bill derisively. "Get on to business, you chump."
"But," resumed Alf doggedly, "I been a fool and I ain't goin' on with it. What I want you to do is to take away everything in this 'ouse as you've put in it, an' to put back everything as you found 'ere, just as it was when you took it over."
"I say ..." began Bill loudly.
"Master," said Eustace gravely, "I hear and obey."
He vanished.
Instantly the lights in the room went out. At the same moment the hum of life which had filled the building stopped dead, and an eerie stillness fell on the house. The curtains which had veiled the windows were suddenly no longer there, and the moon shining in filled the room with a half-light in which Alf could see Bill's figure silhouetted.
The dead silence was broken by a flood of picturesque and disreputable imprecations from Bill.