"He calls it 'creaking,'" he murmured.

"No matter," he continued aloud, "its remark was not of a complimentary nature.

It's very difficult to get really polite furniture." The man was evidently stark, staring mad.

I still affected not to observe it, and asked him if that was why he left Simla.
"There were Simla reasons, certainly," he replied.

"But you think I came here for solitude! SOLITUDE!" he repeated, with a laugh.