e
seen once the hall door was passed. Then Mr. Naylor's jaw squared, and
his whole attitude seemed to become more angular.

A knock at the door would cause him to look up quickly from whatever he
was doing, just as a gamekeeper might look up at the report of a gun.
By his orders Mrs. Naylor and Susan between them kept a complete list
of all callers, even hawkers, if they were sufficiently courageous to
risk an encounter with the redoubtable James.

Mr. Naylor was a tall man of broad build, with a head that would
persist in remaining square, in spite of his best endeavours to grow
the hair upon it in such a way as to soften its angularity. His eyes
were steely, his forehead low, his mouth hard and his manner furtive.
That was within doors. The breath of heaven, however, seemed to
mitigate all these unamiable characteristics, and it was only on very
rare occasions that, once beyond his own threshold, an observer would
see the harshness of the man. He smiled down at children, sometimes he
patted their heads, he was never lacking in a tip, appropriate or
inappropriate, he was the smoother out of discordant situations, he
nodded to all the tradespeople, smiled genially at his inferiors, and
saluted his superiors and equals. In short he was an ideal citizen.

The outbreak of war in August, 1914, was responsible for two changes in
the Naylor menage. First the at-home days were discontinued, secondly
James was more than ever in evidence. Nobody, however, noticed the
changes, because in Streatham such things are not considered worthy of
notice.

Mr. Naylor received few letters, for which the postman was grateful to
providence. Had Streatham been a little more curious, it would have
noticed that Mr. Naylor's comings and goings were fraught with some
curious and interesting characteristics. For one thing he appeared
constitutionally unable to proceed direct to a given point. For
instance, if Hampstead were his object, he would in all probability go
to Charing Cross, take a 'bus along Strand, the tube to Piccadilly
Circus, a taxi to Leicester Square, tube to Golders Green and 'bus to
Hampstead.

Another curious circumstance connected with Mr. Naylor was the number
of people who seemed to stop him to enquire their way, obviously people
who found it difficult to pronounce the names and addresses of those
they sought, for they invariably held in their hands pieces of paper,
which Mr. Naylor would read and then proceed