Seeing me, however, and believing me to be a customer, he turned and closed the door quickly.

In that instant I noticed the high broadness of his shoulders, and his back struck me as strangely similar to that of the man in brown whom we had seen disappearing in Rannoch Wood.
The suspicion held me breathless.
Was this Russian endeavoring to deceive me when he declared that Olinto would arrive in a few minutes?
It seemed curious, for the man now dead must, I reflected, have been away at least four days.

Surely his absence from work had caused the proprietor considerable inconvenience?
"That was your cook, wasn't it?
The Milanese who is quarrelsome ?" I laughed, when the side door had closed.
"Yes, m'sieur.

But Emilio is a very good workman--and very honest, even though I had constantly to complain that he uses too much oil in his cooking.

These English do not like the oil." I stood in the doorway again watching the busy throng passing outside towards Royal Oak.