I am a fairly good journalist with a wide general knowledge and with this, corrected by reference to the necessary books which I found in the British Museum library, I was able to turn out a very respectable article on Patagonia.
"This I sent to The Times with one of Gathercole's cards and, as you know, it was printed.

My next step was to find suitable lodgings between Chelsea and Scotland Yard.

I was fortunate in being able to hire a furnished flat, the owner of which was going to the south of France for three months.

I paid the rent in advance and since I dropped all the eccentricities I had assumed to support the character of Gathercole, I must have impressed the owner, who took me without references.
"I had several suits of new clothes made, not in London," he smiled, "but in Manchester, and again I made myself as trim as possible to avoid after-identification.

When I had got these together in my flat, I chose my day.