Round the Fire Stories

No. 77B, Brook Street, was one of those dingy and yet imposing houses,dun-coloured and flat-faced, with the intensely respectable and solidair which marks the Georgian builder. As I alighted from the cab, ayoung man came out of the door and walked swiftly down the street. Inpassing me, I noticed that he cast an inquisitive and somewhatmalevolent glance at me, and I took the incident as a good omen, for hisappearance was that of a rejected candidate, and if he resented myapplication it meant that the vacancy was not yet filled up. Full ofhope, I ascended the broad steps and rapped with the heavy knocker.

A footman in powder and livery opened the door. Clearly I was in touchwith people of wealth and fashion.

“Yes, sir?” said the footman.

“I came in answer to——”

“Quite so, sir,” said the footman. “Lord Linchmere will see you at oncein the library.”

Lord Linchmere! I had vaguely heard the name, but could not for theinstant recall anything about him. Following the footman, I was showninto a large, book-lined room in which there was seated behind awriting-desk a small man with a pleasant, clean-shaven, mobile face, andlong hair shot with grey, brushed back from his forehead. He looked meup and down with a very shrewd, penetrating glance, holding the cardwhich the footman had given him in his right hand. Then he smiledpleasantly, and I felt that externally at any rate I possessed thequalifications which he desired.

“You have come in answer to my advertisement, Dr. Hamilton?” he asked.

“Yes, sir.”

“Do you fulfil the conditions which are there laid down?”

“I believe that I do.”

“You are a powerful man, or so I should judge from your appearance.”

“I think that I am fairly strong.”

“And resolute?”

“I believe so.”

“Have you ever known what it was to be exposed to imminent danger?”

“No, I don’t know that I ever have.”

“But you think you would be prompt and cool at such a time?”

“I hope so.”

“Well, I believe that you would. I have the more confidence in youbecause you do not pretend to be certain as to what you would do in aposition that was new to you. My impression is that, so far as personalqualities go, you are the very man of whom I am in search. That beingsettled, we may pass on to the next point.”

“Which is?”

“To talk to me about beetles.”

I looked across to see if he was joking, but, on the contrary, he wasleaning eagerly forward across his desk, and there was an expression ofsomething like anxiety in his eyes.

“I am afraid that you do not know about beetles,” he cried.

“On the contrary, sir, it is the one scientific subject about which Ifeel that I really do know something.”

“I am overjoyed to hear it. Please talk to me about beetles.”

I talked. I do not profess to have said anything original upon thesubject, but I gave a short sketch of the characteristics of the beetle,and ran over the more common species, with some allusions to thespecimens in my own little collection and to the article upon “BuryingBeetles” which I had contributed to the _Journal of EntomologicalScience_.

“What! not a collector?” cried Lord Linchmere. “You don’t mean that youare yourself a collector?” His eyes danced with pleasure at the thought.

“You are certainly the very man in London for my purpose. I thought thatamong five millions of people there must be such a man, but thedifficulty is to lay one’s hands upon him. I have been extraordinarilyfortunate in finding you.”

He rang a gong upon the table, and the footman entered.

“Ask Lady Rossiter to have the goodness to step this way,” said hislordship, and a few moments later the lady was ushered into the room.She was a small, middle-aged woman, very like Lord Linchmere inappearance, with the same quick, alert features and grey-black hair. Theexpression of anxiety, however, which I had observed upon his face wasvery much more marked upon hers. Some great grief seemed to have castits shadow over her features. As Lord Linchmere presented me she turnedher face full upon me, and I was shocked to observe a half-healed scarextending for two inches over her right eyebrow. It was partly concealedby plaster, but none the less I could see that it had been a seriouswound and not long inflicted.