We have moved to an hotel higher up the valley."
Clovis's next letter arrived five days later, and was written from
the Hotel Steinbock.
"We left the Hotel Victoria this morning. It was fairly
comfortable and quiet--at least there was an air of repose about
it when we arrived. Before we had been in residence twenty-four
hours most of the repose had vanished 'like a dutiful bream,' as
Adrian expressed it. However, nothing unduly outrageous happened
till last night, when Adrian had a fit of insomnia and amused
himself by unscrewing and transposing all the bedroom numbers on
his floor. He transferred the bathroom label to the adjoining
bedroom door, which happened to be that of Frau Hoftath Schilling,
and this morning from seven o'clock onwards the old lady had a
stream of involuntary visitors; she was too horrified and
scandalized it seems to get up and lock her door. The would-be
bathers flew back in confusion to their rooms, and, of course, the
change of numbers led them astray again, and the corridor
gradually filled with panic-stricken, scantily robed humans,
dashing wildly about like rabbits in a ferret-infested warren. It
took nearly an hour before the guests were all sorted into their
respective rooms, and the Frau Hofrath's condition was still
causing some anxiety when we left.
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