"A man of mystery!" his friend jeered good-naturedly.

Julian lit his cigarette and watched the smoke curl upward.

"Let's talk about the duck," he suggested.

The two men sat in silence for some minutes. Outside, the storm
seemed to have increased in violence. Furley rose, threw a log on
to the fire and resumed his place.

"Geese flew high," he remarked.

"Too high for me," Julian confessed.

"You got one more than I did."

"Sheer luck. The outside bird dipped down to me."

Furley filled his guest's glass and then his own.

"What on earth have you kept your shooting kit on for?" the latter
asked, with lazy curiosity.

Furley glanced down at his incongruous attire and seemed for a
moment ill at ease.

"I've got to go out presently," he announced.

Julian raised his eyebrows.