Before arriving there, however, he had discovered that in some mysterious manner the news of the change of proprietorship had worked its way down to the lowest strata of the hotel's cosmos.

The corridors hummed with it, and even under-servants were to be seen discussing the thing, just as though it mattered to them.
'Have a cigar, Mr Racksole,' said the urbane Mr Babylon, 'and a mouthful of the oldest cognac in all Europe.' In a few minutes these two were talking eagerly, rapidly.

Felix Babylon was astonished at Racksole's capacity for absorbing the details of hotel management.

And as for Racksole he soon realized that Felix Babylon must be a prince of hotel managers.

It had never occurred to Racksole before that to manage an hotel, even a large hotel, could be a specially interesting affair, or that it could make any excessive demands upon the brains of the manager; but he came to see that he had underrated the possibilities of an hotel.