nce, I stepped inside. A
short passage conducted me to a small and evil-smelling room abutting on
the bar. On the popular side of the counter the place was crowded; in
the chamber where I found myself I was the sole customer. A small table
stood in the centre, and round this two or three chairs were ranged,
while several pugnacious prints lent an air of decoration to the walls.

On the other side, to the left of that through which I had entered, a
curtained doorway hinted at a similar room beyond. A small but
heavily-built man, whom I rightly judged to be the landlord, was busily
engaged with an assistant, dispensing liquor at the counter, but when I
rapped upon the table he forsook his customers, and came to learn my
wishes. I called for a glass of whisky, and seated myself at the table
preparatory to commencing my inquiries as to the existence of Baxter's
mysterious friend. But at the moment that I was putting my first
question the door behind the half-drawn curtain, which must have been
insecurely fastened, opened about an inch, and a voice greeted my ears
that brought me up all standing with surprise. _It was the voice of
Baxter himself._

"I assure you," he was saying, "it was desperate work from beginning to
end, and I was never so relieved in my life as when I discovered that he
had really come to say good-bye."

At this juncture one of them must have realized that the door was open,
for I heard some one rise from his chair and come towards it. Acting
under the influence of a curiosity, which was as baneful to himself as
it was fortunate for me, before closing it he opened the door wider and
looked into the room where I sat. It was Baxter, and if I live to be an
hundred I shall not forget the expression on his face as his eyes fell
upon me.

"Mr. Hatteras!" he gasped, clutching at the wall.

Resolved to take him at a disadvantage, I rushed towards him and shook
him warmly by the hand, at the same time noticing that he had discarded
his clerical costume. It was too late now for him to pretend that he did
not know me, and as I had taken the precaution to place my foot against
it, it was equally impossible for him to shut the door. Seeing this he
felt compelled to surrender, and I will do him the justice to admit that
he did it with as good a grace as possible.

"Mr. Baxter," I said, "this is the last place I should have expected to
meet you in. May I come in and sit down?"

Without giving him time to reply