He was forty years of age, thin and dark.

His black hair was turning grey at the temples, and though not long, hung forward over his knitted eyebrows in disorderly locks.

He had a strange face.

His head, broad enough at the level of the eyes, rose to a high prominence towards the back, while his forehead, which projected forward at the heavy brows, sloped backwards in the direction of the summit.

The large black eyes were deep and hollow, and there were broad rings of dark colour around them, so that they seemed strangely thrown into relief above the sunken, colourless cheeks.