Naples, and came overland--he wanted to put in a day or two in Rome and a
day or two in Paris. We came round by sea to Tilbury. Then Stephens and I
separated--he went to see his people in Scotland, and I went to mine in
Lancashire. We met--Stephens and I--in London here last week. And we saw
Ashton for just a few minutes, down in the City."

"Ah!" exclaimed Mr. Pawle. "You have seen him, then! Did anything
happen?"

"You mean relating to what he'd told _us_?" said Fosdick. "Well, no more
than I asked him sort of jokingly, how the secret was. And he said it was
just about to come out, and we must watch the papers."

"There was a remark he made," observed Stephens. "He said it would be of
just as much interest, perhaps of far more, to our Colonial papers as to
the English."

"Yes--he said that," agreed Fosdick. "He knew, you see, that we were just
about setting off home."

"He didn't ask you to his house?" inquired Mr. Pawle.

"That was mentioned, but we couldn't fix dates," replied Fosdick.
"However, we told him we were both coming over again on business, next
year, and we'd come and see him then."

Mr. Pawle spread out his hands with a gesture of helplessness.

"We're as wise as ever," he exclaimed.