He was rather long-faced, with beard worn short and pointed, and his dark, deep-set eyes and his countenance showed a fund of good humour.

"This visit is quite unexpected," exclaimed Sir Henry.

"You were not due till the 20th." "No; but circumstances have arisen which made my journey imperative, so I left the Gare du Nord at four yesterday afternoon, was at Charing Cross at eleven, had half-an-hour to catch the Scotch express at King's Cross, and here I am." "Oh, my dear Goslin, you always move so quickly! You're simply a marvel of alertness." The other smiled, and, with a shrug of the shoulders, said, "I really don't know why I should have earned a reputation as a rapid traveller, except, perhaps, by that trip I made last year, from Paris to Constantinople, when I remained exactly thirty-eight minutes in the Sultan's capital.

But I did my business there, nevertheless, even though I got through quicker than _messieurs les touristes_ of the most estimable Agence Cook." "You want a wash, eh ?" "Ah, no, my friend.

I washed at the hotel in Perth, where I took my morning coffee.