‘ Pah !’ exclaimed Sir Danvers Carew MP . ‘ A chocolate ! What is this ? A day at the fair ? Get a real drink , man .’
Jekyll regarded him in silence for a second then turned to me . ‘ What are you waiting for ?’
I nodded and scurried from the room .
Mary prepared the chocolate while I poured Sir Danvers ’ s brandy .
‘ Now ,’ said Mary , ‘ what you ’ ll find is that when that old fart has left , Mr J will ring the bell again and that one will be for his nightcap so just take a whiskey up to him . Understood ?’
‘ Yes .’ I took the hot cup from her , put it on a tray next to the brandy , and hurried out of the kitchen .
In my wanderings , I had learned the quickest ways around the house , so within a few minutes of leaving the kitchen , I was back at the door to the PM ’ s rooms .
I knocked twice and was summoned .
I handed the men their drinks and began to back out of the room .
Sir Danvers produced a long cigar from his jacket and a silver case . He opened the case and removed a match . Once the cigar was lit he tossed the spent match onto the table and blew smoke into the air .
‘ Boy ,’ said Jekyll . ‘ Near my desk is an ashtray . Find it for Sir Danvers , please .’
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