148 FOLKESTONE. 



in the centre, and is used for sitting-rooms and bedrooms, 

 with an office for the reception of guests at the farther end 

 of it. The principal restaurant is in another building facing 

 this ; the entrance to this restaurant is under a piazza. In 

 the end of this same building, toward the right, is situated 

 the reading-room which Lawrence had described, and on 

 the left is the regular dining-room. The pier and dock, 

 where the steam-boats lie, is upon the other side of the 

 street from the hotel. 



John explored all these precincts with much interest and 

 attention. Among other things, he saw a placard put up 

 signifying that there was a public dinner given every day, 

 or, as they call it, a table d'hote, toward the latter part of 

 the afternoon, where those of the guests of the hotel who 

 liked to do so could dine together. There was also the 

 restaurant, where those who chose could dine at small ta- 

 bles by themselves at any hour of the day. 



John went to report these facts to Lawrence, whom he 

 had left in the reading-room, where he was engaged at one 

 of the desks near a window making some memoranda in 

 his journal. But he found that there were a number of la- 

 dies and gentlemen engaged in reading and writing in dif- 

 ferent parts of the room, and he perceived at once that con- 

 versation, except in the lowest whisper, would be improper 

 in such a place ; so he amused himself in looking at some 

 of the pictorial papers on the table until Lawrence had fin- 

 ished his work, and then they went out together. 



John first conducted Lawrence to the placard which con- 

 tained the notice about the dinner, and asked him what he 

 should do. 



" Shall we dine at the public table," he asked, " or have 

 a dinner by ourselves ?" 



" That is for you to say," replied Lawrence ; " I have 

 nothing to do with it. You are taking me from London 



