ock punctually."

He thereupon bade me good-bye and raising his hat politely was led along
the street by his companion in an opposite direction to that I was
taking. They seemed delighted that I had given them an appointment, but
for my part I am afraid I was too absorbed by the memories of the day,
and the punishment that had been allotted to the two principal members
in the swindle, to think very much of them and their business. Indeed,
although I made a note of the appointment, it was not until I had
arrived at the office on the following morning that I recollected their
promised visit. I had just finished my correspondence, and had dictated
a few letters to my managing clerk, when a junior entered with two
cards, which he placed before me. The first I took up bore the name of
Mr. Septimus Codd, that of the second, Mr. George Kitwater. When I had
finished the letter I was in the act of dictating, I bade the clerk
admit them, and a moment later the blind man and his companion whom I
had seen on Ludgate Hill the previous evening, were ushered into my
presence. I cannot remember a more venerable appearance than that
presented by the taller man. His was a personality that would have
appealed forcibly to any student of humanity. It was decidedly an open
countenance, to which the long white beard that descended almost to his
waist gave an added reverence. His head was well shaped and well set
upon his shoulders, his height was six feet two if an inch, and he
carried himself with the erectness of a man accustomed to an outdoor
life. He was well dressed, and for this reason I surmised that he was
the possessor of good manners. His companion was as much below the
middle height as he was above it. His was a peculiar countenance
resembling that of a boy when seen at a distance, and that of an old man
when one was close to him. His eyes, as I have already said, were small,
and they were set deep in his head. This, in itself, was calculated to
add to his peculiar appearance. He steered his blind companion into the
room and placed him in a seat. Then he perched himself on a chair beside
him and waited for me to open the debate.

"Good-morning, gentlemen," I said. "Allow me to congratulate you on your
punctuality."

"We were afraid of missing you," observed Kitwater. "Our business is so
particular that we did not want to run any risk of losing our
appointment."

"Perhaps you will now be good enough to tell me what that business