"Yes," he agreed, "nice, pure air, too. It's what I call clean air."
"But in ze vinter," the stranger resumed, "it is probable ze beople in dese houses get much more air than zey vant."
Mr. Croucher turned with his back to the sea and contemplated the houses referred to. They had a new interest for him this morning. It was the first time he had seen them since the visit of the German raiders. The house directly opposite him was as seriously damaged as if an earthquake had shaken its foundations. The windows were smashed and boarded up, a large part of the roof had fallen in; the gable end was in ruin, and some of the bulging walls were shored up with beams of wood.
The stranger also had turned and was regarding the wrecked dwelling curiously, with his watery, blue eyes blinking through gold-rimmed spectacles.
"You have had a fire here, it seems," he casually observed, standing slightly back so that Mr. Croucher should not look into his face and penetrate its disguise.
It was a flabby, clean-shaven face, with a double chin which was partly hidden by the wide, turned-up collar of his heavy overcoat. He was a tall, robust man. At first sight of him Mr. Croucher had supposed him to be a naval officer in mufti.
"No," explained Mr. Croucher, "it wasn't a fire. All that devastation is the result of the bombardment the other morning. It was awful while it lasted. They started firing just opposite here," he pursued; glad to have a listener, and proceeded to give an ample account of the bombardment and its results, concluding with a reference to the sinking of submarine H29. "Her commander, Lieutenant Ingoldsby, lived in the very house we're now looking at," he added.
From Green Croft the stranger transferred his attention to Sunnydene, a little farther towards the end of the cliff.
"That house wasn't touched," Mr. Croucher informed him. "They didn't aim at it. You see, it belongs to a German, the brother of one of the Kaiser's admirals, and of course they had instructions to do it no harm. I don't know what amount of truth there may be in it, but it's whispered in the town that German spies were busy along here on the night before the raid."
"Indeed?" The stranger had taken out his cigarette-case and opened it. He took one for himself and politely held the case in invitation towards Mr. Croucher.