m sure,' said Sarrasin, 'I don't know at this moment the name
of the present Lord Mayor of London.'

'And that is how I had known nothing about the career of your Excellency
until quite lately,' the Professor blandly explained. 'I think it wrong,
sir--a breach of truth, sir--that a man should pretend to any knowledge
on any subject which he has not got. Of course, since I have been in
Paulo's Hotel I have heard all about your record, and it is a pride and
a privilege to me to make your acquaintance. And we need hardly say,
sir, my friend and I, what a surprise it is to have the honour of making
your acquaintanceship on the occasion of the first visit we have
ventured to pay to the house of our distinguished friend Professor
Sarrasin.'

'Not a professor,' said Sarrasin, with a mild disclaiming smile. 'I have
no claim to any title of any kind.'

'Fame like yours, sir,' the Professor gravely said, 'requires no title.
In our far-off West, among all true votaries of folk-lore, the name of
Sarrasin is, sir--well, is a household word.'

'I am pleased to hear you say so,' the blushing Sarrasin murmured; 'I
will frankly confess that I am delighted. But I own that I am greatly
surprised.'

'Our folks when they take up a subject study it right through,' the
Professor affirmed. 'Sir, we should not have sought you if we had not
known of you. We knew of you, and we have sought you.'

There was no gainsaying this. Sarrasin could not ignore his fame.

'But you were going to the City, sir, with your illustrious friend.' An
American hardly ever understands the Londoner's localisation of 'the
City,' and when he speaks of a visit to Berkeley Square would call it
going to the City. 'Please do not let us interrupt your doubtless highly
important mission.'

'It was only a mission to call on you at Paulo's Hotel,' Sarrasin said;
'and his Excellency was kind enough to offer to drive me there. Now that
you are here you have completed my mission for the moment. Shall we not
go in?'

'I am afraid I must get back to town,' Ericson said.

'Surely--surely--our friends will quite understand how much your time
is taken up.'

'Much of it taken up to very little profit of any kind,' Ericson said
with a smile. 'But to-day I have some rather important things to look
after. I am glad, however, that I did not set about looking after them
too soon to see your American visitors, Mr. Sarrasin.'

'Just a moment,' Sarrasin eagerly said, stammering