The page ushered the Thropps into the elevator, and said,
"Nineteen."

It was the number of the floor, not the room. Adna warned his women
folk that "she" was about to go up, but they were not prepared for
that swift vertical leap toward the clouds. Another floor, and
Mrs. Thropp would have screamed. The altitude affected her.

Then the thing stopped, and the boy led them down a corridor so long
that Adna said, "Looks like we'd be stranded a hundred miles from
nowheres."

The boy turned in at a door at last. He flashed on the lights, set
the bags on a bag-rack, hung up the coats, opened a window, adjusted
the shade, lighted the lights in Kedzie's room, opened her window,
adjusted the shade, and asked if there were anything else.

Adna knew what the little villain meant, but he knew what was
expected, and he said, sternly, "Ice-water."

"Right here, sir," said the boy, and indicated in the bathroom
a special faucet marked "Drinking Water."

This startled even Adna so much that it shook a dime out of him.
The boy sighed and went away. Kedzie surprised his eye as he left.
It plainly found no fault with her.

Here in seclusion Mrs. Thropp dared to exclaim at the wonders of
modern invention. Kedzie was enfranchised and began to jump and
squeal at the almost suffocating majesty. Adna took to himself