prevented Bates from coming immediately with his nightly fare, which
consisted of a glass of milk and a plate of bread and butter.

Truth to tell, the artistic temperament contains a spice of curiosity,
which is, in some sense, an exercise of the perceptive faculties.
Theydon wanted to raise a window and look out, an unusual action, and
one which, therefore, would induce Bates to wonder as to its cause.

For once in his life a man who bothered his head very little about
other people's business was puzzled, and meant to ascertain whether or
not the unknown was really calling on some resident in Innesmore
Mansions. It was a harmless bit of espionage. Theydon scarcely knew
the names of the other dwellers in his own block, and his acquaintance
did not even go that far with any of the remaining tenants of 48
fiats, all told.

Still, to a writer, the vagaries of the tall stranger were decidedly
interesting, so he did open a window, and did thrust his head out, and
was just in time to see the owner of the limousine which would call at
the Constitutional Club in a quarter of an hour mount the steps
leading to Nos. 13-18. Somehow, the discovery gave Theydon a veritable
thrill.

Could that pretty girl's father, by any chance, he coming to visit
him? A wildly improbable development had been whittled down to a
five-to-one chance. He closed the window and waited, yes, actually
waited, for the bell to ring!

The sitting room door was open, and it faced the hall door. Footsteps
sounded sharply on the slate steps of the stairway; when Theydon heard