rived to impart a suggestion of his own personality to the room.
The furniture was arranged in a delightfully lazy manner that almost
made you yawn. The walls were hung with photographic enlargements of
some of the most beautiful spots in the neighbourhood. I remembered
what Myra had told me as to his being an enthusiastic photographer, so
I asked him about them.

"Did you take these, Mr. Hilderman?"

"Yes," he answered. "These are just a few of the best. I have many
others which I should like you to see some time. I always leave the
enlarging to keep me alive during the winter months. These are a few
odd ones I enlarged for decorative purposes."

"They are beautiful," I said enthusiastically, for they were real
beauties, more like drawings in monochrome than photographs. "And
you certainly seem to have got about the neighbourhood since your
arrival."

"Yes," he laughed, "I don't miss much when I get out with my camera.
Most of these were taken during the first month of my stay here."

"These snow scenes from the Cuchulins are simply gorgeous, and surely
this is the Kingie Pool on the Garry?"

"Right first time," he admitted, evidently pleased to see his work
admired. I thought of Garnesk's suspicion that our American friend was
engaged on detective work of some kind, and it struck me that with his
camera and his obvious talent he had an excellent excuse for going
almost anywhere, supposing he were called upon at any time to explain
his presence in some outlandish spot.

"You must have kept yourself exceedingly busy," I remarked in
conclusion.

After the meal we adjourned to the hut above the falls. Hilderman
certainly had some right to be proud of his view. It was magnificent.
We stood outside the door and gazed out to sea, north, south and west,
for some minutes.

"You have the same uninterrupted view from inside," said Hilderman, as
we mounted the three steps to the door. He held the door open, and I
stepped in first, followed by Dennis and Fuller. The window extended
the whole length of the room, and folded inwards and upwards, in the
same way as some greenhouse windows do. Suddenly I laughed aloud.

"What's the joke?" asked Hilderman.

"This," I said, pointing to a large carbon transparency of a mountain
under snow, which hung in the window on the north side. "You've no
idea how this has been annoying us over at Invermalluch."

"How?" asked Dennis.

"It swings about in the breeze," I replied, "and