At twilight a train from London deposited a man and a little girl at Patchley station. The man was grey-haired, though tall and of soldierly bearing, and the little girl was so tired that she could hardly drag one foot after the other. In the station-yard a pair-horse landau waited, and the coachman, as soon as he saw the couple, stepped down from his perch, touched his cap, and said: &ldquo;Excuse me, sir, but are you Mr. Cordeiro?&rdquo;<br />The other answered him in perfect English, but with a slight foreign accent. &ldquo;That is my name. You are from Sky Peals, I presume?&rdquo;<br />&ldquo;Yes, sir. Will you kindly step inside?&rdquo;