XIV
The Snowdrop Hostelry was as quaint and refreshing as its name. Here the low-voiced, shy-faced mistress overwhelmed the strangers with expressions of welcome, while her maidens vied with one another in caring for their comfort.
The strangers were accustomed to the eccentricities of the country, and so with resignation they seated themselves upon the floor, where on little, brightly polished lacquer trays the waiting-maids set out for them an inviting and delightful repast. Upon one tray was fresh and fragrant tea; egg, fish, rice, and soup on another; fruit—persimmons and plums—on a third; and on a fourth slender, long-stemmed pipes and huge tobacco-bons.
“Now,” said the younger of the two, “we can talk with some degree of comfort and privacy.”
At his companion’s slight glance of uneasiness towards the waiting-maids, the other assured him they could not understand English.
“Let us go over the entire matter from the beginning, then,” said the other man. “Mr. Matheson, our consul, assured me that you would give me all the assistance and information you could.”
“Oh, certainly; but you must remember, Mr. Knowles, that I am entirely in ignorance as to what information you desire. Mr. Matheson gave me a number of papers in the Lorrimer affair, and I presume this case is in some way connected with yours.”
“Exactly. I am Mr. Lorrimer’s attorney, and have been four months in Japan looking up this matter.”