"Let me see. I was garage-boy for a while at an hotel in a place called Villedieu."
"You remember the name of the hotel, perhaps?"
"The Dauphin, I think. From there I went across country and fetched up in Havre. In Havre I got a job as galley boy on a tramp steamer."
"The name? You remember it?"
"I'll never forget it! She was called the Barfleur. I joined her as Farrar. F-a-r-r-a-r. I stayed with her until I left her in Tampico. From there I worked my way north to the States. Would you like me to write down for you the places I worked at in the States?"
"That would be very kind of you. Here is-ah, you have a pen. If you would just write them here, in a list. Thank you. And you came back to England — ?"
"On the 2nd of last month. On the Philadelphia. As a passenger. I took a room in London and have lived there ever since. I'll write the address for you; you'll want to check that too."
"Yes. Thank you. Yes." Mr. Sandal had an odd feeling that it was this young man-who after all was on trial, so to speak-who was dominating the situation and not, as it certainly should be, himself. He pulled himself together.
"Have you attempted to communicate with your — I mean, with Miss Ashby?"
"No, is it difficult?" said the young man gently.