How often the kind of thing occurs that I am about to describe!
Four or five summers ago, before the world went mad, I was on one of
DAVID MACBRAYNE'S steamers on the way to a Scotch island. Among the few
passengers was an interesting man, with whom I fell into conversation.
He was a vigorous, bulky, very tall man, with a pointed grey beard and a
mass of grey hair under a panama, and he was bound, he told me, for a
well-known fishing-lodge, whither he went every August. He had been a
great traveller and knew Persia well; he had also been in Parliament,
and one of his sons was in the siege of Mafeking. So much I remember of
his affairs; but his name I did not learn. We talked much about books,
and I put him on to DOUGHTY'S _Arabia Deserta_.
I have often thought of him since and wondered who he was, and whenever
I have met fishermen or others likely to be acquainted with this
attractive and outstanding personality I have asked about him; but never
with success. And then last week I seemed really to be on the track, for
I found that my new neighbour in the country has also had the annual
custom of spending a fortnight or so in the same Scotch island, and he
claims to know everyone who ever visits that retired spot.
So this is what happened.
"If you're so old an islander as that," I said, "you're the very person
to solve the problem that I have carried about for four or five years.
There's a man who fishes regularly up there"--and then I described my
fellow-passenger. "Tell me," I said, "who he is."
He considered, knitting his brows.
"You're sure you're right in saying he is unusually tall?" he inquired
at last.
"Absolutely," I replied.
"That's a pity," he said, "because otherwise it might be Sir GERALD
ORPINGTON. Only he's short. Still, he was in Parliament right enough.
But, of course, if it was a tall man it's not Orpington."
He considered again.
"You say," he remarked, "that he had been in Persia? Now old Jack
Beresford is tall enough and has plenty of hair, but I swear he's never
been to Persia, and of course he hasn't a son at all. It's very odd.
Describe him again."