in Hong Kong, was an old school-fellow of Van der Kemp,
became an enthusiastic naturalist, and, being possessed of independent
means, spent most of his time in wandering about the various islands of
the archipelago, making extensive collections of animal and vegetable
specimens, which he distributed with liberal hand to whatever museums at
home or abroad seemed most to need or desire them. Owing to his tastes
and habits he had been dubbed Professor by his friends.

"Ach! Van der Kemp," he exclaimed, while his coal-black eyes glittered
as they shook hands, "_vat_ a bootterfly I saw to-day! It beat all
creation! The vay it flew--oh! But, excuse me--v'ere did you come
from, and vy do you come? An' who is your frond?"

He turned to Nigel as he spoke, and doffed his sombrero with a gracious
bow.

"An Englishman--Nigel Roy--who has joined me for a few months," said the
hermit. "Let me introduce you, Nigel, to my good friend, Professor
Verkimier."

Nigel held out his hand and gave the naturalist's a shake so hearty,
that a true friendship was begun on the spot--a friendship which was
rapidly strengthened when the professor discovered that the English
youth had a strong leaning towards his own favourite studies.

"Ve vill hont an' shot togezzer, mine frond," he said, on making this
discovery, "ant I vill show you v'ere de best bootterflies are to be
fount--Oh! sooch a von as I saw to--but, excuse me, Van der Kemp. Vy
you come here joost now?"

"To save _you_," said the hermit, with a scintillation of his
half-pitiful smile.

"To safe _me_!" exclaimed Verkimier, with a look of surprise which was
greatly intensified by the rotundity of the blue spectacles. "Vell, I
don't feel to vant safing joost at present."

"It is not that danger threatens _you_ so much as your friend the
Rajah," returned the hermit. "But if he falls, all under his protection
fall along with him. I happen to have heard of a conspiracy against
him, on so large a scale that certain destruction would follow if he
were taken by surprise, so I have come on in advance of the conspirators
to warn him in time. You know I have received much kindness from the
Rajah, so I could do no less than warn him of impending danger, and then
the fact that you were with him made me doubly anxious to reach you in
time."

While the hermit was saying this, the naturalist removed his blue
glasses, and slowly wiped them with a corner of his coat-tails.
Replacing