"How often does he visit this place?"
"It may be once only in the year, it may be twice or thrice."
"I gather from your first words when I knocked at the door, and also from the previous state of this table, that you are expecting him at the present time?"
"Expecting him!" echoed Lambro. "I am always expecting him. He never gives warning of his coming, either by letter or messenger. A loud knock of the door, and there he is! He may arrive to-night, he may not arrive for six months. But present or absent the larder must always be full, and the dining-room and the bedroom ready for his immediate reception. A hard man is the Master."
"And how long do his visits last?"
"That depends upon the mood of his companion."
"His companion? Do you mean his wife?"
"His wife?" repeated Lambro, with a peculiar laugh. "The Master is a bachelor and will always remain such. He is a member of a peculiar brotherhood pledged to the repudiation of women."
"What is the object of his visits?"
But Lambro was not disposed to be more communicative.