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 is ?" I replied, taking my note-book out of a drawer preparatory to writing down what they had to say.
"In the first place, sir," the man began, "we of course understand that everything we have to tell you will be regarded by you as strictly private and confidential ?" "That goes without saying," I replied.