The two places laid at the third table were taken by a boy and girl of
such youthful appearance that both Tony and I were astonished to find
them living alone in an hotel. The boy might have been fifteen and the
girl twelve at the most; but that they were overwhelmingly at home in
their surroundings was quickly manifest, as was the fact that they were
brother and sister. This latter fact was evidenced by the manner in
which the boy bullied the girl, and contradicted her at every
opportunity.
There was something of a strained wait when all of us had taken our
places. I saw the old gentleman, eye-glasses on the tip of his nose,
studying the bill of fare intently. Then he turned to his wife.
"Minced chicken and rice--peptonized," he said suspiciously. "Did you
ever hear of such a dish, Mary?"
"Never. But nothing would surprise me in this place," replied his wife,
looking round the room with a censorious eye that even included the
innocent Tony and myself.
The two children chuckled. They wore an air of expectancy such as I
have noticed in my nephews and nieces when I have been inveigled into
taking them to Maskelyne's show.
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