elf?"

"No, sir, I did not know it."

"Yes, I qualified in my younger days, when there were several lives
between me and the peerage. I have not had occasion to practise, but I
have found it a useful education, all the same. I never regretted the
years which I devoted to medical study. These are the gates of
Delamere Court."

We had come to two high pillars crowned with heraldic monsters which
flanked the opening of a winding avenue. Over the laurel bushes and
rhododendrons, I could see a long, many-gabled mansion, girdled with
ivy, and toned to the warm, cheery, mellow glow of old brick-work. My
eyes were still fixed in admiration upon this delightful house when my
companion plucked nervously at my sleeve.

"Here's Sir Thomas," he whispered. "Please talk beetle all you can."

A tall, thin figure, curiously angular and bony, had emerged through a
gap in the hedge of laurels. In his hand he held a spud, and he wore
gauntleted gardener's gloves. A broad-brimmed, grey hat cast his face
into shadow, but it struck me as exceedingly austere, with an
ill-nourished beard and harsh, irregular features. The fly pulled up
and Lord Linchmere sprang out.

"My dear Thomas, how are you?" said he, heartily.

But the heartiness was by no means reciprocal. The owner of the
grounds glared at me over his brother-in-law's shoulder, and I caught
broken scraps of sentences--"well-known wishes ... hatred of
strangers ... unjustifiable intrusion ... perfectly inexcusable."
Then there was a muttered explanation, and the two of them came over
together to the side of the fly.

"Let me present you to Sir Thomas Rossiter, Dr. Hamilton," said Lord
Linchmere. "You will find that you have a strong community of tastes."

I bowed. Sir Thomas stood very stiffly, looking at me severely from
under the broad brim of his hat.

"Lord Linchmere tells me that you know something about beetles," said
he. "What do you know about beetles?"

"I know what I have learned from your work upon the coleoptera, Sir
Thomas," I answered.

"Give me the names of the better-known species of the British
scarabaei," said he.

I had not expected an examination, but fortunately I was ready for one.
My answers seemed to please him, for his stern features relaxed.

"You appear to have read my book with some profit, sir," said he. "It
is a rare thing for me to meet anyone who takes an intelligent interest
in such matters. People can find time for such tr