"This is too good of you," I said, warmly. "Come in and take a seat."
He misunderstood my sarcasm and promptly entered, accompanied by the
boots.
"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.