my watch, and then halloed
to her through the door. The tumult ceased, and a head, elaborately
festooned with curl-papers, was inserted into the room.

"Yer want yer barf?" it asked.

"I do, Gertrude," I said; "and after that I want my breakfast. I have
a lot to do today."

The head withdrew itself, tittering; and a moment later I heard a
shrill voice calling down the kitchen stairs.

"Grahnd floor wants 'is 'ot water quick."

Within about five minutes the ground floor's wish was gratified, Mrs.
Oldbury herself arriving with a large steaming can which she placed
inside a hip bath. She asked me in a mournful voice whether I thought
I could eat some eggs and bacon, and having received a favourable
reply left me to my toilet.

It was about a quarter to eight when I sat down to breakfast.
Considering that for three years I had been obliged to rise
at painfully unseasonable hours, this may appear to have been
unnecessarily energetic, but as a matter of fact I was not acting
without good reasons.

To start with, it was my purpose to spend a pleasant morning with
George. I wanted to be outside his house so that I could see his face
when he came out. I felt sure that as long as I was at liberty he
would be looking worried and depressed, and I had no wish to postpone
my enjoyment of such a congenial spectacle.

Then, provided that I could restrain myself from breaking his head, I
intended to follow him to Victoria Street or wherever else he happened
to go. Beyond this I had no plan at the moment, but at the back of my
mind there was a curious irrational feeling that sooner or later I
should stumble across some explanation of the mystery of Marks' death.

I knew that as a rule George didn't start for business until
nine-thirty or ten. I was anxious to get out of the house as soon as
possible, however, just in case I was correct in my idea that the
gentleman with the scar was keeping a kindly eye on my movements. In
that case I thought that by departing before half-past eight I should
be almost certain to forestall him. If, as I believed, he was under
the impression that I had been indulging in a night's dissipation, it
was unlikely that he would credit me with sufficient energy to get
up before ten or eleven. As to waiting for George--well, I had no
objection to that. It was a nice sunny morning, and I could buy a
paper and sit on one of the embankment seats.

This, indeed, was exactly what I did. I slipped out of t