"Have you just arrived? Have you seen our sights?"

"Came last night from Baden-Baden. I have been here before. You had
better come around to my hotel, and take dinner with me. But first we
will drive somewhere and get cool."

Claudius put on his best coat and combed his hair, apologising to Mr.
Barker for the informality. Mr. Barker watched him, and thought he would
make a sensation in New York.

"We might go up to the castle," said the American, when they were seated
in the carriage. So to the castle they went, and, leaving their carriage
at the entrance, strolled slowly through the grounds till they reached
the broken tower.

"If they had used dynamite," said Mr. Barker, "they would have sent the
whole thing flying across the river."

"It would have been less picturesque afterwards," said Claudius.

"It would have been more effective at the time."

Claudius was thinking of the dark woman and her parasol, and how he had
climbed down there a few weeks before. To show to himself that he did
not care, he told his companion the incident as graphically as he could.
His description of the lady was so graphic that Mr. Barker screwed up
his eyes and put out his jaw, so that two great lines circled on his
sallow face from just above the nostril, under his heavy moustache to
his chin.