Ignoring the apology, Mr. Appel began impressively:

"You cannot have failed to see, Mr. Cone, that my wife and I have been
thoroughly dissatisfied this summer, as we have been at no great pains
to conceal it. We have been coming here for twenty-two seasons, but we
feel that we cannot put up with things any longer and are hereby giving
you notice that next Thursday our room will be at your disposal."

"Is it anything in particular--anything which I can remedy? Perhaps you
will reconsider." Mr. Cone pleaded, looking from one to the other.

"Last night--at dinner"--Mrs. Appel eyed him accusingly--"I found--an
eyewinker--in the hard sauce."

Mr. Cone stammered:

"I'm v-very sorry--it was not my eyewinker--such things will happen--I
will speak to the pastry cook and ask him to be careful----"

Mr. Budlong, who had come in to lay his grievance before Mr. Cone,
interrupted:

"For two mornings Mrs. Budlong and myself have been awakened by the man
with the vacuum cleaner who has wanted to work in our room before we
were out of it. I should judge," he said, acidly, "that you recruit your
servants from the Home for the Feeble-minded, and, personally, I am sick
of it!"

"It is almost impossible to get competent help," Mr. Cone protested.
"The man shall be discharged and I promise you no further annoyance."

Mr. Budlong, nudged by his wife, was not to be placated.

"Our week is up Monday, and we are leaving."

Miss Mattie Gaskett, encouraged by the conversation to which she had
listened, declared with asperity:

"There has been fuzz under my bed for exactly one week, Mr. Cone, and I
have not called the maid's attention to it because I wished to see how
long it would remain there. I have no reason to believe that it will be
removed this summer. I am sure it is not necessary to tell you that such
filth is unsanitary. I have decided that you can make out my bill at
your earliest convenience."

"But, Miss Gaskett----"

She ignored the protesting hand which Mr. Cone, panic-stricken,
extended, and made way for a widow from Baltimore, who informed him that
her faucet dripped and her rocking-chair squeaked, and since no
attention had been paid to her complaints she was making other
arrangements.

It was useless for Mr. Cone to explain that with the plumbers striking
for living wages and the furniture repairers behind with their work, it
had been impossible to attend immediately to these matters.

Ruin confronted Mr.