" exclaimed a young man, a fellow visitor
of the Baron Bunker's, to a tall, military-looking gentleman.

Colonel Savage seemed lost in thought.

"It is a curious thing, Trelawney," he replied, at length, "that the
footman who attends the Baron should have told my man--who, of course, told
me--that a number of his things are marked 'Francis Beveridge.' It is also
rather strange that this impostor should have known so little of the
Baron's movements as to arrive several hours after him, assuming he had
hatched a plot to impersonate him."

"But the man's obviously mad."

"Must be," said the colonel.

The house party were assembled in the drawing-room waiting for dinner to
be announced. The bogus Baron was engaged in an animated discussion with
Colonel Savage on the subject of Bavarian shootings, and the colonel
having omitted to inform him that he had some personal experience of
these, Mr Bunker was serving up such of his friend's anecdotes as he could
remember with sauce more peculiarly his own.

"Five hondred vild boars," he was saying, "eight hondred brace of
partridges, many bears, and rabbits so moch zat it took five veeks to bury
zem. All zese ve did shoot before breakfast, colonel. Aftair breakfast
again ve did go out----"

But at that moment his attention was sharply arrested by a question of
Lady Brierley's.

"Has Dr Escott arrived?" she asked.

The Baron Bunker paused, and in spite of his habitual coolness, the
observant colonel noticed that he started ever so slightly.

"He came half an hour ago," replied Sir Richard. "Ah, here he is."

As he spoke, a well-remembered figure came into the room, and after a
welcome from his hostess, the dinner procession started.

"Whoever is that tall fair man in front?" Dr Escott asked his partner as
they crossed the hall.

"Oh, that's the Baron von Blitzenberg: such an amusing man! We are all in
love with him already."

All through dinner the spurious Baron saw that Dr Escott's eyes turned
continually and curiously on him; yet never for an instant did his spirits
droop or his conversation flag. Witty and charming as ever, he discoursed
in his comical foreign accent to the amusement of all within hearing, and
by the time the gentlemen adjourned to the billiard-room, he had
established the reputation of being the most delightful German ever seen.
Yet Dr Escott grew more suspicious and bewildered, and Mr Bunker felt that
he was being narrowly watched. The skill at