Arnold Bennett
The Grand Babylon Hotel
Published by
Books
- Advanced Digital Solutions & High-Quality eBook Formatting -
2019 OK Publishing
EAN 4057664560896
Table of Contents
Chapter I. The Millionaire and the Waiter
Chapter II. How Mr Racksole Obtained His Dinner
Chapter IV. Entrance of the Prince
Chapter V. What Occurred to Reginald Dimmock
Chapter VII. Nella and the Prince
Chapter VIII. Arrival and Departure of the Baroness
Chapter IX. Two Women and the Revolver
Chapter XI. The Court Pawnbroker
Chapter XII. Rocco and Room No. 111
Chapter XIII. In the State Bedroom
Chapter XIV. Rocco Answers Some Questions
Chapter XV. End of the Yacht Adventure
Chapter XVI. The Woman with the Red Hat
Chapter XVII. The Release of Prince Eugen
Chapter XVIII. In the Night-time
Chapter XIX. Royalty at the Grand Babylon
Chapter XX. Mr Sampson Levi Bids Prince Eugen Good Morning
Chapter XXI. The Return of Félix Babylon
Chapter XXII. In the Wine Cellars of the Grand Babylon
Chapter XXIII. Further Events in the Cellar
Chapter XXIV. The Bottle of Wine
Chapter XXVI. The Night Chase and the Mudlark
Chapter XXVII. The Confession of Mr Tom Jackson
Chapter XXVIII. The State Bedroom Once More
Chapter XXIX. Theodore is Called to the Rescue
Chapter One
The Millionaire and the Waiter
‘Yes, sir?’
Jules, the celebrated head waiter of the Grand Babylon, was bending formally towards the alert, middle-aged man who had just entered the smoking-room and dropped into a basket-chair in the corner by the conservatory. It was 7.45 on a particularly sultry June night, and dinner was about to be served at the Grand Babylon. Men of all sizes, ages, and nationalities, but every one alike arrayed in faultless evening dress, were dotted about the large, dim apartment. A faint odour of flowers came from the conservatory, and the tinkle of a fountain. The waiters, commanded by Jules, moved softly across the thick Oriental rugs, balancing their trays with the dexterity of jugglers, and receiving and executing orders with that air of profound importance of which only really first-class waiters have the secret. The atmosphere was an atmosphere of serenity and repose, characteristic of the Grand Babylon. It seemed impossible that anything could occur to mar the peaceful, aristocratic monotony of existence in that perfectly-managed establishment. Yet on that night was to happen the mightiest upheaval that the Grand Babylon had ever known.
‘Yes, sir?’ repeated Jules, and this time there was a shade of august disapproval in his voice: it was not usual for him to have to address a customer twice.
‘Oh!’ said the alert, middle-aged man, looking up at length. Beautifully ignorant of the identity of the great Jules, he allowed his grey eyes to twinkle as he caught sight of the expression on the waiter’s face. ‘Bring me an Angel Kiss.’
‘Pardon, sir?’
‘Bring me an Angel Kiss, and be good enough to lose no time.’
‘If it’s an American drink, I fear we don’t keep it, sir.’ The voice of Jules fell icily distinct, and several men glanced round uneasily, as if to deprecate the slightest disturbance of their calm. The appearance of the person to whom Jules was speaking, however, reassured them somewhat, for he had all the look of that expert, the travelled Englishman, who can differentiate between one hotel and another by instinct, and who knows at once where he may make a fuss with propriety, and where it is advisable to behave exactly as at the club. The Grand Babylon was a hotel in whose smoking-room one behaved as though one was at one’s club.
‘I didn’t suppose you did keep it, but you can mix it, I guess, even in this hotel.’
‘This isn’t an American hotel, sir.’ The calculated insolence of the words was cleverly masked beneath an accent of humble submission.
The alert, middle-aged man