Soon after a clerk knocked on the door of Miss
Elting's room.
"There's a man below who wishes to speak with you," the clerk informed
her.
"It must be Mr. Grubb," guessed the guardian, and left her packing to
go downstairs. She glanced into the lobby of the hotel; then, not
seeing Janus there, stepped into the parlor. A man, a stranger, was
sitting near a door that led out to the hotel veranda. In the light of
the kerosene lamp that hung suspended from the ceiling she was not able
to make out his features at first. She saw that he wore a heavy black
beard, that he was rather roughly dressed, but that his hands were
white.
"Are you the man who wished to speak with Miss Elting?" she asked,
confessing to herself that she did not wholly like the appearance of
the man.
"Yes," he answered, rising. Now that the light fell on his face she
noted that he had a low, receding forehead. His beard covered the
greater part of his face.
"About what do you wish to speak with me?"
"Well, it's rather a delicate matter, Miss," the man made reply, gazing
down at the carpet, twisting his soft felt hat awkwardly.
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