Page:An adventure (1911).pdf/16

 shut out the view at the junction of the paths. The suddenness of his appearance was something of a shock.

The second man was distinctly a gentleman; he was tall, with large dark eyes, and had crisp, curling black hair under the same large sombrero hat. He was handsome, and the effect of the hair was to make him look like an old picture. His face was glowing red as through great exertion,—as though he had come a long way. At first I thought he was sunburnt, but a second look satisfied me that the colour was from heat, not sunburning. He had on a dark cloak wrapped across him like a scarf, one end flying out in his prodigious hurry. He looked greatly excited as he called out to us, "Mesdames, Mesdames," or ("Madame" pronounced more as the other), "il ne faut (pronounced fout) pas passer par là." He then waved his arm, and said with great animation, "par ici cherchez la maison."

I was so surprised at his eagerness that I looked up at him again, and to this he responded with a little backward movement and