My position precluded any possibility of learning what was
beyond that wooden barrier, but I could plainly view the entire north
portion of the interior, although the only light radiated from a
flickering candle. One edge of the table came within my vision, a man
sitting beside it, his back turned toward me. I made out little of
this fellow's characteristics, as I saw only a pair of broad shoulders,
encased in a rough shooting coat, and a fringe of black whiskers. He
was smoking a short-stemmed pipe, and contented himself with a
growling, indistinct utterance when addressed. Opposite, however, was
a man of a different type, slender and active, his hair very dark and
inclined to curl, a rather long face, slightly olive-hued, with a small
mustache waxed at the ends. His black, sparkling eyes attracted me
first, and then his long, shapely hands. These grasped a sheet of
paper, and I noticed others, including several unopened envelopes,
lying before him on the table. He laughed a bit unpleasantly, a row of
white teeth visible beneath the dark mustache.
"It's just as I thought, Herman," he said genially. "The fellow is a
mere adventurer. There will be no one to take his disappearance
seriously. Look at this document."
He held out a half-printed, half-written sheet which I instantly
recognized as my discharge, but the big man only nodded, his hands in
his pockets.
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