Dining room

A sparkling dinner service was a symbol of prestige for the family.

Across Europe, the new and essential room of a residence was the dining room.

It was home to a new generation of good manners.

Here, it was advisable to receive a small number of guests so as to comment on family life, to discuss business, or to forge good relations when necessary.

The dining room ritual was a window to exposing the triumph of bourgeois cuisine.

An exodus of young women from the countryside ensued.

In wealthy families who had the means to employ a cook, girls, very young women from the countryside, took care of cooking.

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The Old Dining Room I don't pretend to account for it.

I am merely giving the plain unvarnished tale of what took place to my certain knowledge at Jack Drake's house in Kent during the weekend which finished so disastrously.

Doubtless there is an explanation.

So dim that I switched off my own light in order to make sure.

There was no doubt about it.

A light had been lit in the old dining room.

Therefore, someone must be in there at four o'clock in the morning.

And depending on your offering as well, if you're in- Fine dining versus QSR.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

But generally, the high-level principle is providing different seating and options for different people, right? Because you've got different people that use the space, whether it's- a couple on a date, whether it's mates getting together and hanging out for a drink, if it's a drinking spot, if it's a family eating a meal, if it's someone that wants to go sit there on their own, they have different wants and different needs and breaking up dining rooms to create different spaces makes a space feel better as well.

So having your, you know, your booth over here and your two tops over there and your four tops and, you know, your Lena or, um, what do they call them in the US? Just high tops.

Um, uh having different seating for different people is a critical thing and then outside of that is the the breaking up of the room like just chucking a bunch of tables in a room just feels like a conference hall so as much as possible that you can provide anchoring spots for people whether it's off columns whether it's a banquet in the middle of the room, just to divide up the space, create different spaces.

This LibriVox recording is in the public domain.

The Old Dining Room I don't pretend to account for it.

I am merely giving the plain unvarnished tale of what took place, to my certain knowledge, at Jack Dreg's house in Kent during the weekend which finished so disastrously.

Doubtless there is an explanation.

It was so dim that at first I thought I had imagined it, so dim that I switched off my own light in order to make sure.

There was no doubt about it.

A light had been lit in the old dining room.

Therefore, someone must be in there at four o'clock in the morning.

I noticed on the other side of the street another park, and in it was a white statue, but I have forgotten now what it represented.

FURTHER RECOLLECTIONS OF THE DAY Being late, about half-past one, I started for Presbo's Dining-Room.

I went up Beacon Street, across the Common, and I noticed the dome of the State House was painted gold color.

Tremont Street, down School, where I noticed Statue of Franklin in the City Hall yard, then into Washington Street, down Water, into Congress, then into Presbo's.

Stone I thank you For doing that I Know you didn’t Want to." "It isn’t my custom To deduce For social Entertainments," Said stone Smiling At her "but it is My Custom to accede To the wishes Of my hostess." "Thank you For that then," And anne Smiled back At Him.

"Now as a small Return favor May I Show you over The house Mrs Davidson tells me You want to See it." "Yes I am Interested I understand It is Very old And was built By an eccentric." "Yes it Was Though we Bought it from Its second Owner Mr Sturgis Will you go With Us?" I was glad To accept The invitation And as We started We were joined By miss Fordyce And Archer And Also by mrs Stelton And Moreland Van Wyck So it was Quite a party Which followed Anne through The doorway In the Corner We Found ourselves In a corridor That ran along The south side Of the House We passed A branch Corridor Bearing to the Right But Anne laughingly Remarked that Those Were the apartments Of herself And her husband And we might Not enter We went on Into a beautiful Music room Through stately Reception and Drawing rooms And into a Delightful library There were Billiard and Smoking Rooms nearby And through the Dining Room and Sunny Breakfast room We Passed out To the terrace And down into The gardens I thought Stone seemed Disappointed That though The house was Old it Gave no hint Of secret Passages Or dark Staircases No dungeons Or Anything that Savored of Mystery or crime I Chanced to Be walking By his Side And I rallied Him on this "It is so" He confessed "From what I had heard Of the house I had fancied It more Complicated In structure It is very Four square." "Yes it is" Said I As we looked At it From across The wide expanse Of lawn and Garden.

Curious Construction though Mused stone And yet Perfectly simple One large Rectangle with Smaller Rectangles Attached at its Two back Corners Usually wings Are built Entirely Across the Ends I observed Oh of course It was done To get the Advantage of Light Wings at The ends Would have Darkened Many of the Rooms but attached So at the corners There are windows All round Each Part of the house This was true And as I now Recollected Every room Was flooded With daylight "I must Join my Hostess Now" said Stone "and make My adieux I Am leaving Tonight for Kansas City where I am about To investigate A most Important case." I longed To ask Him about it But I Didn't feel Privileged to Do so I Did however Express my Pleasure in Knowing him And hoped That we Might meet Again He very courteously Gave me His card Bearing An address That he said Would always Reach him An attention That I prized Highly though It might never Fulfill its Purpose We all Returned to The study And after The departure Of the Davidsons And their Distinguished Friend The talk Naturally turned To Fleming Stone And his work "I feel that way too," said Connie Archer.

"Why, I'm perfectly sure that he could see straight through my coat into my pocket and read a letter there that I wouldn't have anybody know about, not anybody." "Is it one I wrote you?" asked Anne so roguishly that it was most apparent fooling, but her husband looked up and scowled.

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Nine The Inquest Luncheon was served informally.

The members of the household and guests drifted in and out of the dining room where the footmen served them from a buffet.

It chanced that I sat down with Moreland and Archer.