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’Sorry to have kept you waiting,’ said thesorry at all

Abelat reception, you kno it is, Abel knew exactly hoas at reception

He slowly opened the drawer of the desk in front of him and laid out forty crumpled hotel bills, some of them in four or five pieces, bills that he had recovered frouests who had paid cash and who had never been registered He watched the fat littleto work out what they were, upside down

Desmond Pacey couldn~ t quite fatho for hiht on to the syste what percentage he would have to give him

Perhaps a nice roo

’You’re fired, Mr Pacey, and I want you off the premiseswithin the hour’

Desmond Pacey didn’t actually take in the words, because he couldn’t believe them

’What was that you said? I don!t think I heard you right!

’You did,’ said Abel ’You’re fired!

’You can’t fire er and I’ve been with the Rich to be done, I’ll do it Who in God’s naer’

’You’re what?’

’Me new er,’ Abel repeated ’Mr Leroy appointed me, yesterday and I have just fired you, Mr Pacey’

’What for?’

’For larceny on a grand scale’

Abel turned the bills around so that the bespectacled uests paid their bill, but not one penny of the money reached the Richnature is on the in a hundred years’