Eastern, and I went up to him in the City this morning. He hasn't
been here more than half an hour."

"Nobody told me," said Lightmark. "Gad! I am glad. I will take him
up the picture. Will you carry the other traps into the house,
Bullen?"

He packed them up, and then stood a trifle irresolutely, his hand
feeling over the coins in his pocket. Presently he produced two of
them, a sovereign and a shilling.

"By the way, Bullen!" he said, "there is a little function common in
your trade, the gift of a new hat. It costs a guinea, I am told;
though judging from the general appearance of longshoremen, the
result seems a little inadequate. Bullen, we are pretty old friends
now, and I expect I shall not be down here so often just at present.
Allow me--to give you a new hat."

The foreman's huge fist closed on the artist's slender one.

"Thank you, sir! You are such a facetious gentleman. You may depend
upon me."

"I do," said Lightmark, with a sudden lapse into seriousness, and
frowning a little.

If something had cast a shadow over the artist for the moment he
must have had a faculty of quick recovery, for there was certainly
no shade of constraint upon his handsome face when a minute later he
made his way up the balcony steps and into the office labelled