Coincidence?
Perhaps.

But these days I'm shying at thirteen, the wrong side of the street, ladders, and religious curses." "An old hard-boiled egg like you ?" Burlingame threw up his hands in mock despair.
"I laugh, too; but I duck, nevertheless.

The chap who showed me the stones was what you'd call the honorary custodian; a privileged character because of his genius.

Before approaching him I sent him a copy of my monograph on green stones.

I found that he was quite as crazy over green as I.That brought us together; and while I drew him out I kept wondering where I had seen him before.