ing him be humanly possible. That's all. Thanks very
much. Good-bye."

Then the door opened and shut, and by the time Mr. Narkom could turn
round from writing down the name he had been given, he was quite
alone in the room.

CHAPTER XXXIII

"Num-bah Nine-ninety-two--Captain Maltravers, please.
Nine-ninety-two. Num-bah Nine-ninety-two!"

Thrice the voice of the page--moving and droning out his words
in that perfunctory manner peculiar unto the breed of hotel
pages the world over--sounded its dreary monotone through the hum
of conversation in the rather crowded tearoom without producing
the slightest effect; then, of a sudden, the gentleman seated in
the far corner reading the daily paper--a tall, fair-haired,
fair-moustached gentleman with "The Army" written all over him in
capital letters--twitched up his head, listened until the call was
given for the fourth time, and, thereupon, snapped his fingers
sharply, elevated a beckoning digit, and called out crisply:
"Here, my boy--over here--this way!"

The boy went to him immediately, extended a small, circular metal
salver, and then, lifting the thumb which held in position the
hand-written card thereon, allowed the slip of pasteboard to be
removed.

"Gentleman, sir--waiting in the office," he volunteered.

"Captain Maltravers" glanced at the card, frowned, rose with it
still held between his fingers, and within the space of a minute's
time walked into the hotel's public office and the presence of a
short, stout, full-bearded "dumpling" of a man with the florid
complexion and the country-cut clothes of a gentleman farmer, who
half sat and half leaned upon the arm of a leather-covered settle
nervously tapping with the ferule of a thick walking-cane, a boot
whose exceedingly high sole and general construction mutely stood
sponsor for a withered and shortened leg.

"My dear Yard; I am delighted to see you!" exclaimed the "captain"
as he bore down on the little round man and shook hands with him
heartily. "Grimshaw told me that you would be coming up to London
shortly, but I didn't allow myself to hope that it would be so
soon as this. Gad! it's a dog's age since I've seen you. Come along
up to my own room and let us have a good old-fashioned chat. Key
of Nine-ninety-two, please, clerk. Thanks very much. Come along,
Yard--this way, old chap!"

With that he linked his arm in his caller's, bore him clumping and
wobbling to the nearby lift, and thence, in due