“My good man—before you announce our names, will you tell me which is the host? I have never seen my host before—in fact——”
“Poof—poof!” squealed Sir Tankerton Wollup, and strutted into the room.
“Dear me!” The little old gentleman turned to his little old lady; and added in a confidential undertone:
“A most extraordinary person—a most extraordinary house!... But I have always heard, my dear, that Bohemia was a strange country.... In fact, Charlotte, it’s rather thrilling, is it not?”
The little withered lady, all pleased excitement, said: “Quite thrilling, James!”
Pangbutt seeing awkwardness at the door, and missing the loud announcement of names, went a few paces closer to it to meet his newly-arrived guests.
The little old gentleman entered the room vaguely, the dandruff of the philosophic habit upon his coat-collar, and his wig full of reasons—very markedly a professor. He had the air of cataloguing ideas. The little old lady, a couple of paces behind him, followed him.
Pangbutt exchanged greetings with him.
Said the professor:
“Good-evening, sir; my sister’s husband’s brother-in-law, Sir Gilders Persimmon, was good enough to say that you would allow me to meet Mr. Anthony Bickersteth here.... I am writing a work to disprove the insanity of genius.... It is a part of my theory that the human personality cannot be hidden by artifice—that the strong temperament shows itself in the vigorous growth of the hair—and so on.... I am, sir, I may have forgotten to say, Professor Curtis.... I am an inveterate novel-reader.... My wife keeps a diary.... Where are you, Charlotte? Ah, yes. But, fervently as I admire Mr. Bickersteth’s prose, I should like to suggest to him that in his next work he might make more of that unworked mine, the folk-lore of the London coster—or greengrocer.... I am most anxious that Mr. Bickersteth should be a virile person whose moustache springs out strongly from under the nostrils, with a tendency towards ruddiness in the colouring.... But I fear that on this—what I may call his—er,” he tittered—“his unveiling, I am too thrilled.”