What news for Cyril!
What a staggering episode! He had scarcely any sleep that night.
He wondered whether he would be able to meet Mrs. Scales without
self-consciousness on the morrow. However, he was spared the
curious ordeal of meeting her. She did not appear at all on the
following day; nor did he see her before he left. He could not
find a pretext for asking why she was invisible.
II
The hansom of Matthew Peel-Swynnerton drew up in front of No. 26,
Victoria Grove, Chelsea; his kit-bag was on the roof of the cab.
The cabman had a red flower in his buttonhole. Matthew leaped out
of the vehicle, holding his straw hat on his head with one hand.
On reaching the pavement he checked himself suddenly and became
carelessly calm. Another straw-hatted and grey-clad figure was
standing at the side-gate of No. 26 in the act of lighting a
cigarette.
"Hello, Matt!" exclaimed the second figure, languidly, and in a
veiled voice due to the fact that he was still holding the match
to the cigarette and puffing. "What's the meaning of all this
fluster? You're just the man I want to see."
He threw away the match with a wave of the arm, and took Matthew's
hand for a moment, blowing a double shaft of smoke through his
nose
"I want to see you, too," said Matthew.
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