"Perhaps you should find a brighter house; the working environment here is a bit too dreadful."
Mr. Schneider, the tardy Assistant Undersecretary of the Foreign Office, took off his hat and hung it on the coat rack beside him, squeezed himself in between the clutter to find a spot, and pulled out a chair intended for guests to sit down.
Arthur fished out a tin of tobacco from his pocket and tossed it over: "I'll tidy up a bit later. I've not rented the house for long and should be given some time to make improvements."
Lowering his head to look at the tobacco, Schneider joked, "In such a cramped environment, aren't you afraid of setting the house on fire by smoking?"
"It would be just as well if it did catch fire." Arthur struck a match and lit his cigarette, "I've got more than a few hot-potato files here, and a fire could solve quite a number of problems."
