Everything was ready for use, but guests and waiters were lacking.
"Let's go into the main dining-room," said John, who had opened another door.

"It's a fine, big place and the windows look directly over the river.

Doubtless we'd have a good view from here if it were not for the driving snow." It was, in fact, a handsome long room, proving the truth of John's surmise that many guests came at times to Chastel, and, to their great surprise, they found several of the tables fully dressed, as if some of the people had just been sitting down to dinner, when the voice of the shells bade them go.
"You see it's waiting for us," said John.

"Why, we'd have done its proprietor a wrong if we'd missed the Hotel de l'Europe.

The table is set and, hospitable Frenchman that he is, he'll be glad to know that somebody is enjoying his house in his absence.