May I ask you, sir, if Mr.Malcolm Ross lives here ?" "I am Mr.Malcolm Ross." "Then this letter is for you, sir, and the bro'am is for you too, sir!" I took, with a strange curiosity, the letter which he handed to me.

As a barrister I had had, of course, odd experiences now and then, including sudden demands upon my time; but never anything like this.

I stepped back into the hall, closing the door to, but leaving it ajar; then I switched on the electric light.

The letter was directed in a strange hand, a woman's.

It began at once without "dear sir" or any such address: "You said you would like to help me if I needed it; and I believe you meant what you said.