In the Still of the Night

side of the table, supervising and helping the serving girl they’d hired for the evening, and Bud Carpenter volunteered to be temporary butler and take care of seeing that everyone had wine, spirits or water. Robert had whispered to Lily as they were being seated that Bud didn’t want to let the Great Man out of his sight, which accounted for his lowering himself to serve strangers in an unfamiliar house. Lily wondered if that were true. And if so, why? Sheer devotion to his longtime employer?
    Trying to make polite conversation with either Mad Henry or Mrs. Prinney was heavy going. Mrs. Prinney was watching everyone eat, smiling at those who were showing appreciation of her feast and fretting over those who didn’t finish their salads or peas. Mad Henry kept trying to talk to Robert about some kind of telephone wire project. He seemed utterly unaware that there were rules of conversation at formal dinner and he was to talk to his hostess, and when she switched to speaking to Mrs. Prinney, he could speak with Robert as everyone ‘changed’ partners. Robert was ignoring him entirely, as he was flirting outrageously with Rachel on the other side of him.
    It seemed to be going well. Lily was a skilled hostess—one of her lessons from the old days when they’d been wealthy and such talents were important on an almost daily basis. Julian West was having a pleasant conversation with Phoebe, seemingly on the values of the working class. Mr. Prinney and Addie were talking about the difference in public and private school education from what snips of conversation Lily caught. Raymond and Lorna Ethridge seemed to have a number of family acquaintances in common and were chattering with animation about the troubles some family named Higginbotham had while last traveling in Europe. Even Cecil Hoornart seemed happy. Next to books and authors, his primary interest in life was food, and when he praised Mrs. Prinney for her menu planning, he got her full attention.
    But when Lily turned to Mrs. Prinney and the rest obediently turned to the guest on their other side, it didn’t work out quite as well. Mr. Prinney had nothing in common with Rachel. Nor did Julian seem to be enjoying Addie’s conversational gambits. Raymond seemed to like looking at Phoebe—what man wouldn’t?—but apparently couldn’t think of anything to say to her. They were listlessly discussing the weather. Cecil made a hearty attempt to talk about recent books with Lorna, who said she wasn’t much of a reader, except, of course, for Julian West’s books, which she really didn’t like all that much, but felt obligated to buy since she and Julian had known each other for ages and ages and she kept thinking he might base a character on her someday. She said she thought she might have been his model for Dolley Madison in that one book... what was the title?
    When dessert finally arrived—a wonderful Dutch pastry with raspberries and cream over it—Lily was relieved to turn the conversation one last time.
    “Henry, what are you and Robert talking about? I heard you mention telephones.“
    “I’m going to install a system to replace your bells,“ Henry said. “I’ve looked over your system and they’re all quite taut and the new wire will thread along them nicely.“
    “And what will that accomplish?“ Lily asked, trying to speak to him while eavesdropping on the rest of the conversations.
    “Instead of a guest having to ring a bell in his room that chimes in the servants’ kitchen in the basement, and possibly someone who isn’t the right person coming to the room, don’t you see, the guest can actually say what they need or ask a question and get the right person.“
    “Oh, I see. I think,“ Lily said. “This doesn’t involve any new wiring, does it? Remember...“
    “No, no, I’ll just run telephone wire along the bell pull wires that are here already. And very small sound producers in the rooms. If you like it, they’ll be put into the walls—“
    “Oh, no! You and Robert are not going to tear holes in walls while we have company in the house.”
    Mad Henry laughed merrily. “No, they can just sit on the floor for now.“
    “Very well, but don’t disturb anyone doing this, please.”
    What a very silly idea, Lily thought, but Mad Henry was full of silly ideas and this one sounded relatively harmless.
    As dessert was being consumed (only Rachel, watching her figure, declining this treat) table talk was allowed to become