Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER IT When the up-train for Waterloo reached Halley Bush station at eleven o'clock on the same evening, one of the first-class smoking compartments contained only a single passenger—a staid, elderly gentleman, reading an evening paper. Here he was joined by a second—a younger and rather spare man of medium height, wearing a well-fitting suit of dark flannel, tan shoes and a bowler hat. He had a sunburnt complexion and a slight dark moustache, and there was almost a canine softness in his brown eyes—an effect which was enhanced by the light film of glistening moisture which lay in them. On the whole, a good-looking man, in a weak, characterless way. He parted on the platform with an older companion, who cast some facetious remarks in his wake, to which he replied with studied serenity. On entering, he tripped slightly over the elderly gentleman's foot and apologised carefully. His original intention appeared to be to go to the further end of the compartment, but this small mishap modified his purpose, and he sat down—a little abruptly—in the place opposite the seated passenger. He gazed at his vis-a-vis with irreproachable steadiness and informed him that he had been playing golf. He further stated that, having been pressed to make up a four at bridge after the game, he had missed his usual train, and in those circumstances had accepted the invitation and the hospitality of his friend on the platform, which accounted for his late return. His manner was exceedingly sedate. Receiving a courteous acknowledgment of these remarks, he went on to say that he had been wondering how the unfortunate incidents referred to should affect his conduct when he reached town. His present feeling was that it would be more considerate to accept the temporary inconvenience of hotel acc...