while I stood bareheaded, watching her as she sat, till the corner was rounded, and she was gone, and I alone with the streets and houses and all the dismal day-time.
The next morning I found a note from her, asking me to dine with them on Monday. I smiled, and, when I had had breakfast, wrote an answering note of acceptance. Then Strachan came in, and had a short talk with me. He had his doubts about the financial success of the Book, considering that I wished to have illustrations. I was in an absent humour, and simply echoed his remark—Yes, I wished it to have illustrations, maps, and everything of that sort.
'Of course,' said he, 'we have abundance of material; but I am rather inclined to doubt Brooke's accuracy in these matters, and, in short …'
'Has he taken it?' asked I, 'Parker, I mean.'
'No;' he said, 'he hasn't taken it—yet; but … Well, well—we'll talk about that later on! What are you going to do with yourself this morning? A walk; what do you say? I'm just going to the Museum for half an hour or so, to look at some bones Davies has got hold of. Will you come?'
'I'm very sorry,' I said, 'but I do my work in the mornings. I find that if I go out then, it ends in my doing no work at all.'
We made talk of this sort while he was nearing the door and at last had it a little open, when:
'Did you ever,' I said, ' hear of a man called Gwatkin? Sir James Gwatkin, a knight or a baronet, I don't know which.'
'Hum,' he said, 'Gwatkin? Gwatkin? I know the name somehow.—Oh yes, I know him! I met him down at Oxford at dinner at a don's—two years ago! One of the Culture people. He has written a book about Michelangelo. I remember him quite well now. The next day I stumbled upon him with Sir Horace Gildea'
'Horace Gildea?' said I, *I was at school with him. Do you know him?'
The Professor grimaced:
'Yes, a little. He did me the honour of seducing one of my maids.'
