He carried in his hand an enormous monkey wrench, on which his fingers were clasped in a restless grip.
"'Can you fix the accursed thing ?' he asked.
"I was not accustomed to being spoken to in this way, but I was willing for the girl's sake to strain professional courtesy to the limit.
"'I don't know,' I answered, 'but if you will have the goodness first to fetch me a little light supper, I shall be glad to see what I can do afterwards.' "My firm manner had its effect.

With obvious reluctance the fellow served me some biscuits and some not bad champagne in the dining-room.
"The girl had meantime disappeared upstairs.
"'If you're ready now,' said the Bishop, 'come on down.' "We went down to the cellar.

It was a huge, gloomy place, with a cement floor, lighted by a dim electric bulb.

I could see in the corner the outline of a large furnace (in those days the poorer classes had still no central heat) and near it a tall boiler.

In front of this a man was kneeling, evidently trying to unscrew a nut, but twisting it the wrong way.