room at
that moment. In stature he was slightly above the ordinary, his
shoulders were broad, his limbs perfectly shaped and plainly muscular,
but very slim. His head, which was magnificently set upon his shoulders,
was adorned with a profusion of glossy black hair; his face was
destitute of beard or moustache, and was of oval shape and handsome
moulding; while his skin was of a dark olive hue, a colour which
harmonized well with his piercing black eyes and pearly teeth. His hands
and feet were small, and the greatest dandy must have admitted that he
was irreproachably dressed, with a neatness that bordered on the
puritanical. In age he might have been anything from eight-and-twenty to
forty; in reality he was thirty-three. He advanced into the room and
walked with out-stretched hand directly across to where Eastover was
standing by the fireplace.

"Mr. Eastover, I feel certain," he said, fixing his glittering eyes upon
the man he addressed, and allowing a curious smile to play upon his
face.

"That is my name, Dr. Nikola," the other answered with evident surprise.
"But how on earth can you distinguish me from your other guests?"

"Ah! it would surprise you if you knew. And Mr. Prendergast, and Mr.
Baxter. This is delightful; I hope I am not late. We had a collision in
the Channel this morning, and I was almost afraid I might not be up to
time. Dinner seems ready; shall we sit down to it?" They seated
themselves, and the meal commenced. The Imperial Restaurant has earned
an enviable reputation for doing things well, and the dinner that night
did not in any way detract from its lustre. But, delightful as it all
was, it was noticeable that the three guests paid more attention to
their host than to his excellent _menu_. As they had said before his
arrival, they had all had dealings with him for several years, but what
those dealings were they were careful not to describe. It was more than
possible that they hardly liked to remember them themselves.

When coffee had been served and the servants had withdrawn, Dr. Nikola
rose from the table, and went across to the massive sideboard. On it
stood a basket of very curious shape and workmanship. This he opened,
and as he did so, to the astonishment of his guests, an enormous cat, as
black as his master's coat, leaped out on to the floor. The reason for
the saucer and jug of milk became evident.

Seating himself at the table again, the host followed the example of his
gues