There was no face of which I had not a good view.

In a low voice I asked the servant which were the new arrivals of whom he had spoken.

He pointed them out, and added that, though they had come only that day from England, they were old patrons, well known in the house.
As I lingered, deeply disappointed, the elderly proprietor of the _pension_, who superintended the comfort of his guests, trotted fussily up to enquire the stranger's business in his dining-room.

I explained that I had hoped to find friends, and was so polite that I contrived to get permission for my cabman to have a peep through the crack of the door.

When he had identified his three passengers, all hope was over.