"That's a good idea," answered young Haight. "How about you, Charlie?"

Geary said he was willing. "Ah," he added, "you ought to have seen the
beefsteak I had this evening at the Grillroom." And as they rode
downtown he told them of the steak in question. "I had a little mug of
ale with it, too, and a dish of salad. Ah, it went great."

They decided after some discussion that they would go to the Imperial.

Chapter Four

The Imperial was a resort not far from the corner of Sutter and Kearney
streets, a few doors below a certain well-known drug store, in one
window of which was a showcase full of live snakes.

The front of the Imperial was painted white, and there was a cigar-stand
in the vestibule of the main entrance. At the right of this main
entrance was another smaller one, a ladies' entrance, on the frosted
pane of which one read, "Oyster Cafe."

The main entrance opened directly into the barroom. It was a handsome
room, paved with marble flags. To the left was the bar, whose counter
was a single slab of polished redwood. Behind it was a huge, plate-glass
mirror, balanced on one side by the cash-register and on the other by a
statuette of the Diving Girl in tinted bisque. Between the two were
pyramids of glasses and bottles, liqueur flasks in wicker cases, and a
great bouquet of sweet-peas.

The three bartenders, in clean linen coats and aprons, moved about here
and there, opening bottles, mixing drinks, and occasionally turning to
punch the indicator of the register.

On the other side of the room, facing the bar, hung a large copy of a
French picture representing a _Sabbath_, witches, goats, and naked girls
whirling through the air. Underneath it was the lunch counter, where
clam-fritters, the specialty of the place, could be had four afternoons
in the week.

Elsewhere were nickel-in-the-slot machines, cigar-lighters, a vase of
wax flowers under glass, and a racing chart setting forth the day's
odds, weights, and entries. On the end wall over the pantry-slides was a
second "barroom" picture, representing the ladies of a harem at their
bath.

But its "private rooms" were the chief attraction of the Imperial. These
were reached by going in through the smaller door to the right of the
main vestibule. Any one coming in through this entrance found himself in
a long and narrow passage. On the right of this passage were eight
private rooms, very small, and open at the top as the law required.
Half-wa